Fellows

Salzburg Global Fellow Atiya Anis writes about her experience at Salzburg Global's latest Health and Health Care Innovation session

While the world is emerging from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, new emerging threats like the deepening climate crisis, and geopolitical conflicts are further threatening  to overturn the progress made so far. The global indices (Global Gender Gap index) and gender empowerment measures paint an equally dismal picture stating it will take another 132 years to bridge the global gender gap. Falling women’s participation in labour force is a major contributor to this, exacerbated by the aftermath of the pandemic, which can be attributed to long-standing structural barriers, including childcare, occupational segregations, infrastructure, safety and mobility, social identities, and violence against women and girls.

With the goal to deliberate, discuss and find innovative solutions to the pressing issue of gender equity in the post-pandemic rebuilding, leaders and changemakers from over 26 countries met at Salzburg Global Seminar, as part of the Health and Economic Well-being: Gender Equity in Post-Pandemic Rebuilding program, organized from Oct 15-19, bringing in experts and leaders working around the issue of gender to inspire new thinking and action.

Salzburg Global Seminar is an independent non-profit organization founded in 1947 with the aim to challenge current and future leaders to shape a better world. Being at the forefront of global movements for change, Salzburg Global has works with partners around the globe to bridge divide, transform systems and expand collaboration.

This October, I got the opportunity to be a part of the Salzburg Global program. It has been a proud and inspirational moment for me to engage with experts from all over the world bringing in their perspectives and learnings and co-create innovative solutions to address long standing challenges about ways in which gender continues to impact outcomes. Health and Economic Well-being: Gender Equity in Post-Pandemic Rebuilding tried to establish the strong linkage that health has with wellbeing and prosperity, and how it is inevitable to creating an equal and equitable world. Gender transformative structures, leadership and policies have the potential to enhance the agency of women and girls and bring about sustainable change and transformation.

The Salzburg Global session was inspiring not only in terms of the thematic focus but the design that helped leverage the discussion, enabling effective interaction and tangible outcomes. The format was democratic and structured, and gave a voice to each participant and region.

Sessions included open conversation, knowledge cafes and working groups, lending the opportunity to all Fellows for inclusive and focused reflections, achieving better learning outcomes. Sessions revolved around themes like reimagining the future of work, lessons learned from leadership, innovation in work and social supports, centring women and marginalized groups in decision making and the pandemic recovery. Other topics revolved around the care economy mission, building a gender responsive government, creative solutions to gender-based violence, and political playbooks for sustainable progress. Salzburg Global also offered media and communication opportunities to Fellows interested in extending and publishing their work, and working groups were organized to define a proposal and build an agenda for collaboration.

Salzburg Global Seminar helped connecting an international community of outstanding leaders and brought together inspiration and learnings from across the globe, creating avenues for coalition-building under the vast umbrella that is the Salzburg Global Fellows network. While Fellows have gone back to their respective workplaces and countries after the end of the program, they are still connected by a strong sense of commitment to work together to ensure that economic recovery and strategies are gender responsive, integrated and resilient.

As I head back home, I am astounded by the immense learning and exposure Salzburg Global has brought me in the span of five days. And the connections don’t stop there. Fellows have a lifelong access to collaborate, engage and share ideas and best practices. I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of the Fellowship that nourishes a culture of learning, sharing and cooperation. If you are in search for high-stakes, challenging, and meaningful work, and want to become a transformational leader, there cannot be a better platform than Salzburg Global Seminar.

Atiya Anis is an advocacy and communications specialist, working in the social impact sector in India for the past decade around themes of health, sanitation, gender and environment.