The final report of the International Stakeholder Dialogue (ISD) is finally out. The report is based on the discussions held among different stakeholders from civil society, the public sector and the UN system during the dialogue and was coordinated by AIDOS, GAMS Belgique and the End FGM European Network.
This year’s topic was the necessity to implement gender transformative approaches to ending female genital mutilation and reach gender equality. The main objective of the dialogue was the identification of best practices and recommendations for key international stakeholders, such as donors, governments and civil society actors, by supporting the development of practical and promising gender transformative approaches to ending FGM through mutual learning.
The discussions recognized that female genital mutilation is closely tied to unequal power relations between genders and is a form of gender-based violence. As a manifestation of gender inequality, it needs to be addressed through approaches that aim not solely to eradicate the practice in and of itself but to also transform the gendered and social norms and power relations it is based on.
The dialogue is part of the “Building Bridges between Africa and Europe. Phase 3” project and saw the participation of 53 stakeholders representing 33 organizations from 21 countries across Africa, Europe and North America.
The report and conference are produced with the support of the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme for the Elimination of FGM and the Spotlight Initiative.