The Tribune

SINCE the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual and hybrid conferences have become such a norm that attending in person is especially exciting. When people are able to be in the same room(s), in a bubble of sorts, there is a different energy. The possibilities are different because it does not all disappear with the press of a button.

There is room for side conversations and discussions that spill into halls, extending beyond a regular session length. There are booths to visit and people to speak with about organisations, industries, and interests. There are, in most cases, fewer distractions than when we are occupying two spaces — one virtual and one in-person.

This week, I am attending Women Deliver, one of the largest conferences in the world with a focus on women’s rights. The theme for the conference this year is spaces, solidarity, solutions. More than 6,000 people from at least 170 countries are in Kigali, Rwanda to learn, advocate, share, network, and collaborate across countries and regions and, in many case, across thematic areas. Yesterday was the first official day of the conference, following pre-conferences that took place on Sunday and Monday and were largely limited to people with invitations and who were able to register in time and get accepted. At the time of the opening ceremony on Monday afternoon, many of us had already attended four to ten hours of pre-conferences on specific issues including bodily autonomy and the intersection of gender and climate change.

The agenda for this week is packed, and it is difficult for most delegates to decide which events they will attend. At any given time, there are numerous sessions. As an example, on Tuesday at 7am, there were eight sessions ranging in topics from a model for preventing intimate partner violence that is working in Rwanda to resourcing feminist resilience in a state of constant crisis. In addition to there being many sessions to choose from, there is high competition for seats in some of them. Plenaries, of course, are held in auditoriums, but some sessions are held in rather small rooms that fill quickly, especially if people stay in one room for multiple sessions. Attending this conference and getting into the top-choice sessions requires good strategy and high energy. Sometimes a bit of luck is helpful too.

People working in the gender space and in thematic areas who recognise the intersection with gender occupy this space with both purpose and enthusiasm. It is an opportunity to make others aware of the issues they are facing, the ways they are working to change the situations in their geographic locations, and how they can be supported. It is also an opportunity to listen to and learn from the experiences of others, share ideas, and connect with champions and allies. In the midst of back-to-back events are dozens of booths with information on international non-governmental organisations, dedicated spaces for groups including young people, and the arts and film festival.

Yesterday, the screenings in the Kirunga tent included the trailer for Two-Faced: Gender Inequality in The Bahamas, a Gina Rodgers-Sealy film focus on gender-based violence that premiered in New Providence just a few months ago. It was a pleasure to see it screen at the Women Deliver Arts and Film Festival, in front of an incredibly diverse group of people, as it continues its run of festival and awards.

One of the most striking things about Women Deliver 2023 has been the warm welcome extended to the delegates by the people of Rwanda. Moving through immigration and customs was a smooth process, hotel information was readily available, shuttles were arranged to transport people to and from the airport, and there are shuttles running all day to transport delegates between the venues of this enormous conference.

Hotel staff and staff of other venues consistently offer excellent service and do everything they can to assist guests. The talent and skills of the people of Rwanda are regularly demonstrated in their performances of dance and spoken word, the beautiful textiles and designs, and music and singing.

At the opening of a pre-conference on Sunday, there was a performance that involved a woman playing a traditional instrument, accompanying another woman who recited a piece as the English translation appeared on the screen. Even without reading the translation, the meaning was deeply felt. It was about the beauty of Rwanda, the sorrow contained in its history, and the grace of acknowledging the sorrow and moving forward together. At the opening ceremony of the conference, there was a performance by the National Ballet of Rwanda, also known as Urukerereza National Ballet, featuring traditional music.

The ceremony included speeches by numerous officials including president of Rwanda Paul Kagame and UN Women executive director Sima Bahous. The president talked about the importance of gender equality and the action Rwanda has been taking to achieve it. One can only imagine how many times that speech was quoted the next day. One of the most memorable statements he made was that it is okay for women to outnumber men on panels. This seems like a simple statement, but he was pointing out that there was an imbalance for a long time, and that a 50:50 split is not more important than centering women in conversations about gender equality and ensuring that we have the ability to participate, to speak, and to lead. There were also panel discussions which included some people whose messages were well-received and others who, most agree, should not have been there except to listen and learn.

Politicians and heads of United Nations agencies are often given speaking roles at large events, especially with international audiences. They are thought to bring legitimacy, and maybe the suggestion of alignment with a greater mission. More often than not, these speakers detract from the event and the purpose.

In almost all cases, they deliver speeches with predictable, safe lines, talking about their “commitment” to improving the pressing issue being discussed. Their words are so often repeated that they are utterly boring and border on insulting. It is definitely unusual for these people to break away from the state mission or focus of the event and take aim at it, but it does happen. Sometimes, it is an unintentional slipping of veil, showing what they really think.

At the Women Deliver conference opening ceremony, there were several disturbing statements. They were all delivered with a casual indifference, as if the speakers did not even know that what they were saying was absurd, offensive, or violent. This is what is happening in advocacy and policy spaces. People are being invited based on their titles rather than their values. They are given platforms, and they misuse and abuse them. The people who truly care about the issues have to face that others, especially with power and influence, are bringing harmful ideology, and sometimes it is wrapped up in a package that, at first, appears quite different.

Last night, Equality Bahamas hosted a side event, with the support of the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights and Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) at Women Deliver. It was focused on the issue of gender inequality in nationality law, and it made connections to migration and climate change.

Deepti Gurung and Neha Gurung, a mother-daughter activist duo and co-founders of the Citizenship Affected People’s Network, shared their story of being denied citizenship rights. Aneesah Abdullah from the United National Country Office talked about the obligations of the State, in general and during crisis. Rachel Gore, vice president and lead programme officer at UUSC talked about what is needed from funders now in order to respond to the current needs of activists and movements. Participants were engaged in the discussion, thinking and talking about what citizenship does and does not mean, how this is a gender issue, and what can be done, in our lifetimes and beyond, to address issues gender inequality.

Being in the same space does not mean that we are aligned. Using the same language does not mean that we are aligned. This is what we have to remember, not only at conferences, but as we move through the world. Everything is not as it appears. We have to pay attention to what is said and how it is said. We have to take note of what is not said. We have to take our interactions with people as evidence. We also have the responsibility to curate our own spaces and communities.

Rights-minded people will come across people who fundamentally do not support human rights. We will also come across people who believe they should have human rights, but not those people over there. We will have to confront them. We, however, must not be overwhelmed by them. We have to spend time with other rights-minded people, to commiserate, to plan, to celebrate, to imagine, and to find new ways to collaborate. We must be a great resource to one another. We have to make the best use of the spaces available to us, be intentional in our solidarity, and be innovative as we build solutions.