About UNESCO
UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, is the UN body that engages with education and research, as well as cultural projects such as the World Heritage Sites.
Gender equality is one of the priorities of UNESCO in its 2008-13 strategic plan.
The creation of UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN Networks in Universities around the world is part of the way that UNESCO takes forward its remit.
About UNESCO Chair in Gender Research
UNESCO appointed Professor Sylvia Walby to the UNESCO Chair in Gender Research in 2008.
The objectives of the Chair are to:
- facilitate the development of policy-relevant research on gender equality and women's human rights around the world;
- support and develop international networking to facilitate the exchange of ideas, research and policy developments, especially between the North and South;
- support research and build capacity on policy-relevant gender equality issues; curriculum development, student training at graduate level; staff exchanges;
- facilitate exchanges between researchers and policy makers, in the context of UN instruments for promoting women's human rights and the Millennium Development Goals;
- collaborate with UNESCO in its Gender Equality policy and strategy.
The Chair was launched with a seminar: 'What is gender equality in a global age?' Download a word doc of the presentations from the seminar.
Core members of the UNESCO Chair in Gender Research Group are the Research Associates Dr Jo Armstrong and Dr Sofia Strid. Additional staff and research students are linked to the Group through joint projects.
