The sessions of Empowering Women, Public Space and Climate Change Talks, combine our past topics of Public Space and Climate Change. Partnering together with Her City a joint initiative of UN Habitat and Global Utmaning. Partners of the New European Bauhaus and co-organization with partners of BIDs Belgium and City Space Architecture.
Empowering Women, Public Space and Climate Change aims to create further awareness, research and projects on female led initiatives and gathering experts from a variety of sectors with a focus on empowering diverse women around the world. Engaging in inspiring debates and discussions, taking an inclusive approach to highlight women working in the field. All sessions of Empowering Women and Climate Change recognize the need for more gender equality, racial and social justice. With taking an integrated systemic and connected approach by local governments, private sector and grassroots and civil society organizations, together having a crucial opportunity to enhance their climate responses from social issues to the supply chain, from poverty alleviation and gender equality.
About this session:
Join us for our 10th session of “Empowering Women, Public Space & Climate Change,” where we bring together thought leaders from UN representative organizations. In this insightful event, we’ll delve into the crucial intersectionality of climate action, public space and gender empowerment, exploring both institutional strategies and real-world projects that create positive impacts on communities.
Discover firsthand insights from UNITAR, UN Habitat and UN Women, as they showcase successful initiatives and policies that seamlessly integrate gender perspectives into climate actions within the urban/rural public spaces. Learn from the UN Agency representatives as prominent sector players, about their impactful projects that effectively merge climate considerations with women’s empowerment in the built environment.
The session will unfold institutional strategies employed by UN agencies and how they embed gender considerations in climate policies the urban agenda, fostering collaboration for global impact.
As we delve into the specifics of each representative, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of projects that successfully integrate climate and gender considerations, creating tangible positive impacts on communities. Engage in a dynamic Q&A session, pose your questions, and contribute to the dialogue on the integration of climate action and women’s empowerment.
Our closing remarks will summarize key takeaways, emphasizing the importance of collaborative efforts in addressing climate change, public space and gender empowerment.
Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with participants during our informal networking session, fostering potential collaborations and continuing discussions beyond the event.
Join us in paving the way for a more sustainable and inclusive future at the crossroads of climate change, women’s empowerment, and public space.
This session of Empowering Women and Public Spaces Talks, is co-organised by Rozina Spinnoy, BIDs Belgium and in partnership with Luisa Bravo of City Space Architecture. Partners of Her City, a joint initiative of UN Habitat and Global Utmaning, the New European Bauhaus (as community partners of BIDs Belgium).This session of Empowering Women and Public Spaces Talks, is co-organised by Rozina Spinnoy, BIDs Belgium and in partnership with Luisa Bravo of City Space Architecture. Partners of Her City, a joint initiative of UN Habitat and Global Utmaning, the New European Bauhaus (as community partners of BIDs Belgium).
This is the first session of 2023 and we look forward to welcoming the following speakers::
Dr. May East
Dr. May East is an international Urbanist specialised in nature-positive and gender-sensitive cities. A UNITAR Fellow, she works with intergovernmental agencies, private sector and regional governments in the creation of policy guidelines and activities for accelerating the SDGs implementation. Based at the Findhorn Ecovillage for two decades, her expertise spans the development of 20-minute neighbourhoods, eco-communities as well as working regeneratively with mining cities, and informal settlements. She holds a Master of Science in Spatial Planning with specialization in the rehabilitation of abandoned villages and a PhD in Architecture and Urban Planning on the topic What if Women Designed the City? May was awarded Women of the Decade in Sustainability and Leadership by Women Economic Forum in 2019.
Florence Raes
Mrs Florence Raes is the Director of UN Women Brussels Liaison Office since the 15th of August 2023. Before this position, she was the Regional Director a.i. for UN Women in West and Central Africa and the Deputy Regional Director since August 2020, covering 24 countries with a strong emphasis on Women, Peace and Security and Women’s Economic Empowerment as well as Humanitarian Action given the geopolitical context of the Sahel and the region. Mrs. Raes served as Representative for UN Women in Argentina where she set up the country office, successfully leading the negotiations with the host government, stakeholders and partners, in areas such as private sector engagement, Women and Sports, Violence against Women among others. Between 2012 and 2019, Florence was the UN Women Representative in Paraguay and in Mozambique where she expanded the organisation’s portfolios and partnerships, strengthened the institution’s coordination mandate and led normative achievements such as the adoption of gender sensitive economic policy frameworks, care policies and social security schemes. Florence brings to this position over 20 years senior leadership experience (representation, negotiations and advocacy) and technical expertise on gender equality and women’s rights in Africa, Arab States and Latin America. Her prior experience as team leader and senior programme manager with UN Women, the European Union and the UK Foreign Service (DFID) in North Africa, in the Middle-East, in Brazil and in Latin America, focused on gender responsive governance and legal reforms, macroeconomics and gender budgeting as well as rural, indigenous and afro-descendants women’s empowerment. Before joining the United Nations, Mrs Raes was an Associate Researcher and Professor at the University of Brussels in Political Sciences and International Relations where she published extensively on democratic transitions in Latin America, Women’s Human Rights, new social movements and agrarian reforms. She coordinated international research programmes for Oxfam International, the Institute of Development Studies (UK) and the Ford Foundation and provided technical advisory services to the UN and the EU. Florence holds a Masters in International Relations from the University of Brussels and a Masters in Latin American Studies from the University of London. She is fluent in French, Dutch, English, Portuguese and Spanish.
Dr. Lubna Shaheen
Mrs Florence Raes is the Director of UN Women Brussels Liaison Office since the 15th of August 2023. Before this position, she was the Regional Director a.i. for UN Women in West and Central Africa and the Deputy Regional Director since August 2020, covering 24 countries with a strong emphasis on Women, Peace and Security and Women’s Economic Empowerment as well as Humanitarian Action given the geopolitical context of the Sahel and the region. Mrs. Raes served as Representative for UN Women in Argentina where she set up the country office, successfully leading the negotiations with the host government, stakeholders and partners, in areas such as private sector engagement, Women and Sports, Violence against Women among others. Between 2012 and 2019, Florence was the UN Women Representative in Paraguay and in Mozambique where she expanded the organisation’s portfolios and partnerships, strengthened the institution’s coordination mandate and led normative achievements such as the adoption of gender sensitive economic policy frameworks, care policies and social security schemes. Florence brings to this position over 20 years senior leadership experience (representation, negotiations and advocacy) and technical expertise on gender equality and women’s rights in Africa, Arab States and Latin America. Her prior experience as team leader and senior programme manager with UN Women, the European Union and the UK Foreign Service (DFID) in North Africa, in the Middle-East, in Brazil and in Latin America, focused on gender responsive governance and legal reforms, macroeconomics and gender budgeting as well as rural, indigenous and afro-descendants women’s empowerment. Before joining the United Nations, Mrs Raes was an Associate Researcher and Professor at the University of Brussels in Political Sciences and International Relations where she published extensively on democratic transitions in Latin America, Women’s Human Rights, new social movements and agrarian reforms. She coordinated international research programmes for Oxfam International, the Institute of Development Studies (UK) and the Ford Foundation and provided technical advisory services to the UN and the EU. Florence holds a Masters in International Relations from the University of Brussels and a Masters in Latin American Studies from the University of London. She is fluent in French, Dutch, English, Portuguese and Spanish.
Dr. Luisa Bravo
Luisa Bravo is a global academic scholar and educator, social entrepreneur and public space activist. She has more than 15-years experience in the professional field as urban planner and designer with a specific focus on public space. Her expertise is grounded in extensive academic postdoctoral research and teaching in Italy and Europe, the United States, Middle East, Asia and Australia. Throughout her academic career, she held different academic positions, in Italy and abroad, and she has been the recipient of prestigious grants and awards such as the Marco Polo scholarship for a postdoctoral research period as Visiting Scholar at IURD – Institute of Urban and Regional Development at University of California Berkeley (USA, 2012) and the Australia Award Endeavour Executive Fellowship for professional development, fully funded by the Australian Government, Department of Education and Training, hosted at the Queensland University of Technology, School of Design, Faculty of Creative Industries (Australia, 2018).
Luisa is the Founder and President of City Space Architecture, an Italian-based non-profit organization promoting public space culture at the global level, and she is the Founder and Editor in Chief of The Journal of Public Space, the first, interdisciplinary, academic, open access journal entirely dedicated to public space, that she established through City Space Architecture in partnership with UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme.
https://www.cityspacearchitecture.org
Rozina Spinnoy
Rozina Spinnoy is a Design Strategist and Social Entrepreneur, Owner/Founder of her NGO BIDs Belgium and Design SME’s based in Brussels and working internationally. A community partner of the New European Bauhaus, with her NGO BIDs Belgium. She is also the Founder of the international/community initiative of Empowering Women, Public Space and Climate Change. Recently appointed as the Associate Direct of the Public Space Academy, an initiave of City Space Architecture, with the Ove Arup Foundation. An active member and Leader of the Placemaking Europe Network. Rozina is also an Academician for the Academy of Urbanism and also sitting on a variety of Advisory Councils. Rozina champions a variety of causes, projects and philanthropic activities, ranging from gender equality, urban place-making, inclusion and diversity. A keen advocate for more mental health awareness, inclusive communities and co-designing processes in her wide range of diverse projects. You will find Rozina often sharing her views and passion on the value of Design, Creativity and Foresight for positive impact across our society.
https://bids-belgium.com/empowering-women-public-space-climate-change-talks/
