July 13, 2023 – The Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN), in partnership with the gender equality and international labor movements, will co-organize three events at the Women Deliver 2023 Conference aimed at advancing childcare, women empowerment and the care economy.
The Conference will take place in-person in Kigali, Rwanda, and virtually from July 17-20, 2023. Organizers expect 6,000 in-person participants and more than 200,000 joining online. It was recognized as one of the largest multi-sectoral convenings to advance gender equality.
ECDAN will partner with cross-sector partners in three separate sessions to discuss policies, best practices and actions needed to invest and strengthen childcare as a driver of economic justice, gender equality, and early childhood development outcomes.
Journalists interested in covering these intersecting issues can be connected to childcare providers and parents for interviews.
The three conference sessions are:
The Women Deliver 2023 Pre-Conference on the Care Economy
Date: July 16
Time: 8:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. (CAT)
Location: Auditorium, Kigali Serena Hotel
Description: The event is a collaboration across a consortium of partners featuring keynote speakers and roundtable conversations to explore the role of governments, private sector, care workforce and civil society in promoting decent care work. Participants will engage in discussions around the wide range of policies and actions needed to promote investments in the care economy that is sustainable and advances gender equality.
The pre-conference event is co-organized by Women Deliver, The Asia Foundation, the Center for Global Development, WeProsper, and the International Labour Organization (ILO), in partnership with the Cadmus Group, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Equimundo: Center for Masculinities and Social Justice, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the Global Alliance for Care, the Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN), with additional support from the Municipality of Bogotá, the Hilton Foundation, Pro Mujer, the UN Women Asia-Pacific Regional Office, FEMNET, the Moving Minds Alliance (MMC), MenCare: A Global Fatherhood Campaign, and Sonke Gender Justice.
Building Political Will for Childcare through Partnership Building
Date: July 18
Time: 12:45 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. (CAT)
Location: Echidna Giving/GPE Education Hub (Kigali Convention Center)
Description: The session will consist of a roundtable discussion with perspectives from philanthropy and civil society organizations representing gender equality/women’s economic empowerment, early childhood development, and the childcare workforce. Participants will focus on how to strengthen linkages between women’s economic empowerment, care infrastructure, and early child development to build bridges for future collaboration.
Moderator: Brett Weisel, Global Policy and Advocacy Lead of ECDAN
Panelists:
- Maria Mdachi, Technical Advisor at the Africa Early Childhood Network
- Buky Olabukunola, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Lead at Akina Mama Wa Afrika
- Saskia Guerier, Senior Advocacy Officer at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
- Anna Nadine Rodriguez, Mozambique Youth Officer at Break Free Programme
Advancing Women’s Economic Empowerment and Child Development Outcomes through Childcare
Date: July 20
Time: 7 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. (CAT)
Location: Marriott Hotel (Seminar Room)
Description: The disproportionate responsibility for caregiving, combined with the lack of access to childcare, results in additional barriers for women’s participation in the workforce and opportunities to improve their earnings and livelihoods. This session will examine the concerted efforts by stakeholders to improve childcare systems in recent years and the need to catalyze public investments and expand access to quality childcare services, particularly for the most vulnerable populations.
Moderator: Lucy Minayo, Director of the Home-Based Childcare Initiative
Panelists:
- The Honorable Harriette Chiggai, Women’s Rights Advisor at the Executive Office of the President, Kenya
- Phoebe Mukazera, Director for Program Operations for Save the Children Rwanda
- Lisa Bohmer, Director of Global Early Childhood Development at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
About the Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN)
ECDAN provides a multisectoral and multi-stakeholder platform to connect and bring together diverse key partners and their networks to advocate for higher prioritization and investment in inclusive quality services; facilitates knowledge exchange and learning; and connects and aligns global and regional partners across sectors to drive collective action at scale for all young children to ensure their optimal development, wellbeing, and realize their full potential.
Media Contacts: Caroline Mochoge, [email protected], +254-708-712-888 | Katherine Shek, [email protected], +1-703-362-0803