Building institutional capacity to respond to crises by improving gender equity
“By bringing together people from diverse roles across different organisations we achieved an atmosphere of inclusion and innovation. This helps put people in a solution-oriented mindset and increases our chances of making an impact.”
Ever since returning from the Meryl Williams Fellowship in Australia in early 2020, Dr Phonevilay Sinavong (known to most as Lanoy) has been tireless in her pursuit of opportunities to advance gender equity.
An agricultural researcher based at the National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI) in Laos, Lanoy has been responsible for convening several seminars that increase institutional understanding of what gender equity is and how gender dynamics play out in the agricultural sector and in research.
Most recently Lanoy spear-headed a seminar at NAFRI that aimed to build upon the institutional capacity to respond the impact of COVID 19 by providing staff the opportunity to share experiences regarding gender development in Laos and increase knowledge about the role of the Lao PDR trade, youth and women’s unions within the context of the pandemic.
Participants attended from within the Ministry of Agriculture as well as various development partner organisations, in total 169 attendees.
The seminar was designed by Lanoy who made sure that it fit within NAFRI’s annual plan for staff development and capacity building and had supervision and support from her senior executive.
Dr Chay Bounphanousay, the General Director of NAFRI opened the seminar with the message that in these challenging times it is upon everyone to adapt and strengthen the collective capacity to respond to crises like the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.
The President of the Laos Women’s Union and Deputy General Director of NAFRI, Dr Chanthakhone Boualaphanh delivered a presentation on how the principles of the Laos Women’s Union could be applied to mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic. Dr Chanthakhone is also involved in the Meryl Williams Fellowship program as a mentor and has been supporting Lanoy as she develops her career and leadership skills.
Development partners including OXFAM and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) were welcomed by Mr Soulivong Saygnavong, also a Deputy General Director at NAFRI and Head of Gender Development. He facilitated a discussion regarding future collaborations to promote workplace gender equity.
With more seminars, workshops and several research projects on the horizon, Lanoy has a busy end to 2020. Back at GEAReD HQ, we couldn’t be more thrilled to see yet another alumna taking the lessons learnt on the Meryl Williams Fellowship and sharing them with her own community to make a genuine impact on gender equity.