Institute for Sustainable Development and Governance (ISDG) organised an Advocacy Dialogue meeting on Gender equality on March 23rd at ISDG Centre, Golf Links. This was the fourth such meeting it had been organising in the series on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Dr. Mridul Eapen, Member of Kerala State Planning Board, delivered the keynote address. She enlightened the gathering on Goal 5, its targets and indicators. She pointed out that gender inequalities manifest themselves in every dimension of sustainable development—economic, social and environmental—and their political underpinnings. Hence, they had to fight hard to achieve both a stand-alone goal on gender equality as well as integrating it across other goals and targets. While progress on SDG 5 will be critical, it cannot be the sole focus of gender responsive implementation, monitoring and accountability. There should be gender specific indicators for targets in each goal.
Sonia Goerge, Secretary, SEWA Union, spoke about the discrimination in remuneration faced by women workers in both formal and informal sectors and the debt traps they fall into, despite availability of opportunities and sincere efforts.
Sreemayi Sree, transgender Activist and Research Associate, raised questions against Keralites’ claim of having progressiveness in thought, calling it hypocritical and perplexing. She called for equal treatment to the third gender in all spheres of life.
ISDG Director, Dr. Abraham George presided over the function. Experts in the areas of academics, public policy, civil society and media also participated in the meeting.