Striving for gender equality entails developing actionable strategies informed by local organizations and their experience on the ground.

To shed light on the importance of civic voice and explore strategies for bridging the gap between global gender policies and local implementation, the Arab Institute for Women (AiW) at LAU, in collaboration with the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), hosted a panel discussion titled Collaboration for Accelerating Change: Global to Local on March 3 on the Beirut campus as part of the International Women’s Day celebrations.

Moderated by AiW Executive Director Myriam Sfeir, the event marked the fourth collaboration between the institute and AGBU, serving as a model for uniting academia and activism through education and advocacy. It brought together activists, researchers, and policymakers committed to advancing gender equality and women’s rights.

“When women lead, communities thrive,” said Arine Ghazarian, executive director of AGBU Lebanon, in her opening remarks, emphasizing the importance of partnership across sectors, disciplines, and borders.

Building on this, Sfeir stated that achieving true gender equality calls for a focus on documenting women’s stories, pushing for legal reforms, and tackling the root causes of patriarchal structures. “By uniting these efforts, we can transform gender equality from a goal into a reality,” she added.

“Civil society organizations play a vital role in collecting gender-sensitive data and addressing community-specific issues,” said panelist Adele Khodr, a child rights advocate and former UNICEF regional director for MENA.

She shared her experience in Afghanistan, where she talked about a menstrual hygiene management project that improved girls’ school attendance by providing access to sanitary products and gender-sensitive sanitation facilities.

Similarly, drawing from her experiences in Kosovo and Afghanistan, Ambassador of Finland to Lebanon Anne Meskanen, who was the keynote speaker, emphasized the importance of local ownership in implementing gender policies. She noted that “addressing deeply entrenched structural barriers and challenging patriarchal systems requires more than high-level discussions among elites; real change begins at the grassroots level, where communities have the power to initiate transformation.”

Meskanen further stressed that without engaging local populations and empowering them to take the lead, any top-down efforts will fall short of creating lasting societal change.

Reflecting on the efforts carried out nationally, Professor and Lebanese Parliamentarian Halimé Kaakour highlighted legislative initiatives, including proposals to combat online violence against women, improve gender-sensitive data collection, and reform prison conditions for female detainees.

According to Kaakour, binding gender-sensitive approaches in governmental policies is vital, as “without proper implementation and accountability, even well-intentioned laws will fail to create meaningful change,” she stressed.

Addressing the recent global challenges to gender equality, including growing backlash and disinformation, Samir Kassir Foundation Executive Director Ayman Mhanna reiterated the need for collaboration, especially between media, civil society, and academia to combat misinformation and promote inclusive narratives.

In her closing remarks, Sfeir urged for a renewed commitment to collective effort and grassroots action, highlighting the importance of persistence in the pursuit of gender equality.

“While change takes time,” she said, “each setback presents an opportunity for creative solutions to emerge.”