March 9, 2016
In commemoration of International Women’s Day, WPDI founder and CEO and UNESCO Special Envoy Forest Whitaker and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson took part in a conversation on gender equality in peacebuilding and the entertainment industry.
At the event, Mr. Whitaker highlighted the importance of empowering women to take part in the peace process. “You can’t really find peace in the world if 50 percent of the world is women and they’re not included in the conversation. They have to be not only the brains behind but also the instigators of a lot of our movement towards peace,” Mr. Whitaker said. He also highlighted ways in which WPDI engages women in its work, including through WPDI’s partnership with UN Women and its computer and literacy classes targeted specifically toward girls and women at its Community Learning Centers.
Ms. Watson noted the necessity of engaging more women in peacekeeping at the highest levels. “Even though we know that, when women are involved in peacekeeping, peace is more sustainable, only 1 in 40 peace treaty signatories in the last 25 years were women,” she said.
Both Mr. Whitaker and Ms. Watson also discussed their personal experiences combatting pernicious gender stereotypes in the entertainment industry. “What we have to do as artists is to recognize the sorts of images we’re projecting,” Mr. Whitaker said as he pointed out the disparate rates at which women and men are sexualized in popular films.
The conversation was part of the kickoff event for HeForShe Arts Week. Phumzile Mlambo-Nguka, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, and Chirlane McCray, First Lady of New York City, also delivered remarks on the imperative of fighting against gender inequality.