We are inviting female leaders – ambassadors, academics, civil servants and leading professionals from the cultural sphere – to reflect on the evolution of gender (in)equality throughout history, as well as the current challenges and opportunities. The panellists will share views on the framing of gender equality policies, as well as personal experiences in dealing with issues such as the gender pay gap or glass ceilings in modern career opportunities.

The event will take place on 8 March 2021, from 15:00 to 16:30 (CET), and will include short presentations by the speakers, followed by a Questions & Answers session at the end. It will take place in an exclusively digital format, and will be open to the public via livestreaming on our webstreaming platform and our Facebook channel.

But first, we would be glad to hear your views! You can help us better understand how gender equality is reflected in your country by taking part in our survey. We will collect and analyse the data from the public survey and share the results with the participants during the event. The survey is available in English and French and should not take more than a few minutes to fill in. So have your say here: https://forms.gle/L5kKFonZSBR3ZjyH8 !

The event will be moderated by the EU Ambassador to the Council of Europe, Ms Meglena Kuneva along with the President of Amicale Femmes of the Council of Europe, Ms Inna Dimova, and will feature the following speakers:

• Prof. Jutta Allmendinger, President of the WZB Berlin Social Science Center, Professor of Educational Sociology and Labour Market Research, Humboldt University, and Senior Fellow at CES, Harvard University
  
   
• Ms Despina Chatzivassiliou-Tsovilis, Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
  
   
• Ms Marie Fontanel, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of France to the Council of Europe
  
   
• Ms Nina Nordström, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Finland to the Council of Europe and Chair of the Committee of the Parties to the Istanbul Convention
  
   
• Ms Francine Hetherington Raveney, Gender Equality and Communication Senior International Consultant, Founder of the European Women’s Audiovisual Network
  
   
• Ms Françoise Lauritzen, Former Official of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees