The critical role of men in supporting gender equality was discussed at an event organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) CHANGE project and OSCE Gender Issues Programme’s WIN project during this year’s Warsaw Human Dimension Conference.

“Advancing gender equality has been a key area of ODIHR’s work since its foundation more than 30 years ago,” said Tea Jaliashvili, ODIHR Director’s Alternate/First Deputy Director. “The vital role that men and boys play in achieving this objective has not always been taken into account in the past, making our discussions even more important.”

“Men have a pivotal role to play in challenging the attitudes, behaviours and social norms that perpetuate gender inequality and allow violence against women to persist. After all, how can we expect to succeed if 50 per cent of the population do not stand in solidarity with women in the pursuit of equality?” emphasized Lara Scarpitta, OSCE Senior Adviser on Gender Issues and Head of the Gender Issues Programme.

During the event, which was also supported by the Delegations of Ireland and Norway to the OSCE, international experts discussed the need to balance men's engagement with continued support for traditional advocates for gender equality. They shared experiences and insights and identified opportunities to increase men’s engagement and strengthen support for gender equality initiatives across the OSCE region.

“Men must be active allies in this fight, working alongside women to challenge toxic behaviours and standing against all forms of violence. We must engage men and boys in education, prevention, and in promoting respect and equality,” said Liliana Palihovici, OSCE Special Representative on Gender.

“Unconscious bias of decision-makers and employees in public administration, that is not addressed sufficiently through education and in society, much more often than ill intent, affects people’s individual experiences. If mistrust and lack of understanding of the different perspectives is at least part of the problem, then surely dialogue is a key part of the solution,” said Wojciech Brzozowski, Poland’s Deputy Ombudsman and Professor at Warsaw University.

The event was also an opportunity to present the forthcoming OSCE policy and practice recommendations for engaging men in gender equality and ODIHR Sarajevo Recommendations on Engaging Male Politicians as Critical Actors for Gender Equality in Politics.