March Forward for ALL Women and Girls - IWD 2025

This International Women’s Day, at a time when hard-won gains towards gender equality are being questioned and disrupted, at Field Epidemiology in Action (FEiA) we are taking the UN Women Australia theme to heart: March Forward for ALL Women and Girls.

We are progressing a twin-track approach to gender equality. We have a specific goal to progress gender equality within our sphere of work: leading gender analyses of Field Epidemiology Training Programs (FETPs) to inform gender sensitive and responsive field epidemiology training globally. Simultaneously, we are gender mainstreaming our initiatives, purposefully weaving a gender perspective into the fibres of our program and approach. Beyond gender, we are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion across our programs, including disability equity and rights. 

We are deepening our learning about the dynamics of intersectionality in operationalising gender equality. This means considering how the different components of our identities – both the ones we consciously wear, and the labels thrust upon us – make us more or less susceptible to discrimination. Identities include sex, gender, sexual orientation, Aboriginality, language group, ability, age, religion or ethnicity, amongst many others.

We are building relationships with representative organisations in our partner countries of Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji to identify the gender equality priorities that matter most to them. Aligning these to the gender equality strategies of partner Governments and the expertise of gender focal points within Ministries of Health, we know collaboration is the only way to make sustainable, relevant progress in the contexts where we work.

We are inspired by the continued efforts of global health gender equality proponents. From advocacy groups like Women in Global Health, including the Australian Chapter of the movement, through to the initiatives like Global Health 50/50 which provide practical resources, such as organisational self-assessment tools. If a human rights perspective is insufficient, evidence highlighting the benefits of gender equality, such as through a recent scoping review on the impact of women’s global health leadership, should remove any doubt. 

We are grateful that within our own operating context, a commitment to gender equality remains steadfast. The Australian Government has paired its International Gender Equality Strategy, which guides FEiA’s work, with the domestically-focused Working for Women: A Strategy for Gender Equality, released just last month.    

International Women’s Day 2025 may not be cause for celebration, but a moment to pause. We are reflecting on the formidable efforts that have led to the progress achieved for women to date, and considering all that’s at stake. Alongside our partners across the Pacific, we are committed to Marching Forward in the pursuit of gender equality.