Women@TheTable
a gender equality & democracy CSO
establishing new norms, now
because a woman's place is at the decision-making table
women@thetable = w@tt
galvanizing women’s influence & establishing new norms
We are at a critical turning point.
The “standardized male” is the default of flawed systems and cultural standards that currently control how we live and work – defaults so normalized we don’t even notice them. From drug trials and farm equipment to global trading rules, this is proven to harm people – and the bottom line. In fact, democracy itself is in peril. So women must establish new norms.
Gender equality & Democracy
Women at the Table is a growing, global CSO based in Geneva – and the first organization to focus on systems change by helping feminists gain influence in sectors that have key structural impact: economy, democracy and governance, technology and sustainability.
Based on an ambitious yet actionable 10-year plan, Women at the Table identifies leverage points in the intricate yet fundamental systems that dictate women’s day-to-day lives. We also spotlight and support women change-makers in order to share multiple, varied visions of women’s leadership and innovation.
Define the rules
Women at the Table exposes the systematic exclusion of women in defining the rules – and pinpoints strategic changes to laws, regulations and norms to achieve gender equality and strengthen democracy. By connecting the right people, at the right place at the right time, women are influentially involved in all levels of decision-making, so change can happen now.
Establish new norms
Women are an essential, untapped resource – with the power to reshape our society’s systems. It is crucial that we focus on gender equality and democracy for both women and men, now.
Then everyone can thrive.
w@tt we do
Galvanizing women’s influence & establishing new norms
International Gender Champions
Our first initiative in 2015
One of w@tt’s first initiatives was co-founding the International Gender Champions (IGC) with the UN Director-General in Geneva and the US Ambassador, forming a collaborative network of senior female & male decision-makers who drive systems change through implementation of practical interventions to promote equality. IGC now numbers 200+ Champions including the Secretary-General of the UN, Heads of many if not most International Organizations, NGOs, Ambassadors and private sector. Currently IGC has hubs in Geneva, New York, Vienna, and Nairobi; IGC-Den Haag launched winter 2019 at the International Criminal Court. In summer 2018, a Finance Minister (Canada) joined IGC with the intention of founding an IGC-Finance Hub for International Finance Institutions and Finance Ministers with a baseline joint commitment to begin an organizational gender budgeting process within a 12 month timeframe.
Impact
Our first Impact Group and coalition
Created for impact, IGC currently mobilizes Champion-led consortiums on Representation, Trade, Standards and Disarmament (and soon Finance). Its political action and draft of its Trade Impact Group’s Declaration on Trade and Women’s Economic Empowerment became the Buenos Aires Joint Declaration on Women and Trade, which was joined at the WTO Ministerial in December 2017 by an unexpected 120+ Member States and Observers, making it the first time in WTO, and GATT, history that women are mentioned in an official context of international trade. (Watch the short video with the amazing Arancha Gonzalez in the thumbnail.) The Declaration is critical in that it institutionally encourages countries to identify impact of trade on women and to take this into consideration in their trade agreements; with a potential massive impact on women’s economic status globally. w@tt and IGC will continue their trade work in collaboration with the International Trade Centre, Iceland, Sierra Leone and Botswana who co-chair the group, with a 13 member circle of Member States, (Canada, EU, Argentina, UK, Australia, Korea, Moldova, Kenya, Pakistan, Chile, Costa Rica), IOs (UNCTAD), NGOs (CUTS, ICTSD) with an action plan for change taking them to the WTO Ministerial in 2020.
w@tt's pillars
five strategic points of focus
In order to connect frontline feminist change-makers, drive impact, and catalyse the influence of feminists with policy-makers w@tt focuses on five strategic pillars in fora where feminists have not traditionally been influential:
Governance & Democracy where rules are made:
- International Gender Champions
Economy where power is wielded:
- the IGC Trade Impact Group,
- Gender Responsive Standards with the major national standards bodies that achieved recommendation late fall 2018 in Geneva. This includes an action plan to move from national standards bodies to the many International Standards bodies headquartered in Geneva by the end of 2019)
Technology where the future is invented:
- Artificial Intelligence & Gender stream collaborating with école polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR).
- Triple A - Affirmative Action for Algorithms a concrete plan of action launching summer 2019.
Sustainability where innovation is survival:
- Gender & Cities bringing together high tech feminist visionaries focussed on democracy and inclusion with traditional feminist groups focussed on gender to explore the nature of Smart Cities with a feminist focus -- leveraging International Organization feminist capital in Geneva and bringing the dialogue forward on
- The Smart Feminist City to the Commission on the Status of Women in New York, the World Summit on Information Society WSIS, and the 13th Symposium on ICT, Environment & Climate Change in Geneva in 2019.
Portrayal where myth is forged.
w@tt is a systems entrepreneur
front line to the top line to the front line
Collaboration and innovation at the multilateral level with a feminist NGO driving change shoulder to shoulder with larger scale institutional partners is a new concept.
And w@tt is always looking for new partners & collaborations. Dedicated to bringing frontline women leaders to the table
Events 2019
selected 2019 events
IGC Commitment Conversations
8, 10, 14, 17, 21, 29, 30 January
Every IGC Champion makes an annual two commitments to advance gender equality.
Brown Bag Breakfasts For those who wish to speak in person, or on Zoom, either individually or in groups
08:30 - 10:00
Women@theTable offices
IGC Focal Points
17 January
First Focal Point Meeting of the year to share best practice and what makes a transformative commitment.
15:00-16:30
Palais des Nations, Room XI
IGC-Den Haag Official Launch
At the International Criminal Court, The Hague
5 February 15:00-17:30
Opening remarks by H.E. Sabine Nӧlke, Ambassador of Canada to the Netherlands
Remarks by H.E. Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji, President of the ICC
Panel discussion moderated by H.E. Heinz Walker-Nederkoorn, Ambassador of
Switzerland to the Netherlands
• H.E. Fatou Bensouda, Prosecutor of the ICC
• H.E. Sheikh Mohammed Belal, Ambassador of Bangladesh to the Netherlands
• Caitlin Kraft-Buchman, Executive Director, Women@TheTable, IGC Co-Founder
• Hans de Boer, Chairman, Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers
(VNO-NCW)
Closing remarks by H.E. Peter Lewis, Registrar of the ICC
Kick off International Womens Week
IGC Annual Champions Luncheon
Champions Only Event
&
Evening Focal Point Reception
To kick off a full week of events commemorating
International Women's Week (because a Day no longer suffices in Geneva)IGC Annual Report 2018 LaunchWorking Luncheon MeetingCo-Sponsored by Women@theTable and the Canadian Mission to the World Trade Organization, and Mission to the UN Organizations in GenevaIGC Focal Point ReceptionCelebrating colleagues making waves & bringing other awesome feminists with them up the ladder into the heart of systems change.Reception, Geneva
4 March 17:00-19:30
The 2019 Geneva Gender Debate
Graduate Institute, Geneva
6 March 18:00-19:30
Back by popular demand the Graduate Institute / International Gender Champions Geneva Gender Debate.
With the Motion: This House believes that neutral gender language is not a necessity to achieve gender equality.Our incredible line up of Debaters:Inger Andersen, Director General, International Union for the Conservation of Nature IUCN, newly appointed Head of UN Environment
H.E. Ambassador Michael Gaffey, Permanent Representative of Ireland to the UN and International Organizations in Geneva
Arancha Gonzalez, Executive Director, International Trade Centre
Elhadj As Sy, Secretary-General, International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies
Moderator: Caitlin Kraft-Buchman, Women@theTable
Gender Balance Index 2019 launch
At the Embassy of Switzerland, Ambassador's Residence, London 7 March 17:30
Promoting gender balance in public-private finance
OMFIF is launching the sixth annual Gender Balance Index, which tracks the presence of women in senior positions at central banks and sovereign funds.Alexandre Fasel, Ambassador, Embassy of Switzerland in the United Kingdom
Keynote:
Monika Bütler, Member of the Bank Council, Swiss National Bank
Speakers:
Ghadir Cooper, Global Head of Equities, Barings
Caitlin Kraft-Buchman, Founder and Executive
Director, Women@TheTable
Martin Taylor, Member of the Financial Policy Committee, Bank of England
The Smart Feminist City
CSW Side Event, Church Center for the United Nations, New York
12 March, 16:30-17:30
What would a sustainable SMART humanist city for the 21st century that has gender equality, climate change resilience, and democratic values at the core of its creativity and governance look like? We call this The Smart Feminist City and will explore visions and plans to make it a reality with urban planners, activists, and funders at this event that also celebrates Women@theTable's first year at CSW with official ECOSOC status. In collaboration with Plan International.WTO Female Directors Network
WTO Executive Dining Room, Geneva
2 April, 12:30-14:00
Women@theTable's Executive Director and Founder Caitlin Kraft-Buchman will be the Guest Speaker at the WTO Female Directors Network Luncheon.(en)gendering the smart city
WSIS World Summit on the Information Society
International Telecommunication Union, Geneva
11 April, 13:00-14:15
.Technology with gender at its core - SMART Cities Enabling More Connective Human Experience
Hosted by Women@theTable & ITU
Moderator: Ambassador Makeda Antoine-Cambridge, Permanent Representative of Trinidad & Tobago to the UN Office at Geneva
Panel: Commissioner Adolfo Cuevas, Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones, Mexico
Tatiana Delgado Fernandez, Vice President, Union of Informatics Professionals Cuba
Caitlin Kraft-Buchman, CEO/Women@theTable
gender equality
Fédération Equestre Internationale FEI Sports Forum
15 April, 09:30-11:00
The Sports Forum’s first day will begin with a session dedicated to gender equality. Even though equestrian is the only Olympic sport in which men and women compete on equal terms at all levels, improvements, especially regarding representation in governance-related positions (Committees, NFs, etc.) can be improved.
Women@theTable is thrilled to participate on the opening panel with the President of the Equestrian Federation, one of our International Gender Champions.
Grassroots Academy
Huairou Commission, 13 - 14 May,
0900-1730, Graduate Institute Conference Center
Women@theTable is overjoyed to be the co-host of the Huairou Commission's Grassroots Academy for over 35 women leaders from Asia, Africa, and Latin America for two days of strategy & advocacy in advance of the formal global platform for disaster risk reduction taking place in Geneva.
The Smart Feminist City 3.0
13 May, ITU, 2-3:30
13th Symposium on ICT, Environment and Climate Change
The International Telecommunication Union together with Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions Secretariat, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, UN Environment, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, UN Global Compact, United Nations Human Settlements Programme, United Nations Industrial Development Organization and UN-Women is organizing the 13th Symposium on ICT, Environment and Climate Change. The theme of this year's Symposium: “The role of frontier technologies in combating climate change and achieving a circular economy".Our own Caitlin Kraft-Buchman will speak on the panel: Frontier Innovators: Are We There Yet?
speaking about The Smart Feminist City 3.0
Gender Responsive Standards Declaration No Fly signing
14 May, 11am-1pm, UNECE
International Standards Bodies, governmental authorities, regional and intergovernmental organizations, NGOs, UN organizations, academic and research institutions will sign on to the Gender Responsive Standards Declaration in the making since 2017.
Women@theTable @ Women Deliver
2-6 June, Vancouver
Women@theTable is delighted to be participating in a series of events at Women Deliver, the triennial conference on women's health now focused on power, and gathering over 8,500 feminists from across the globe to connect and take action on the issues critical to women having agency and influence.
Women in Big Data 2019
20-21 June, Zürich
Panel: “Career Trajectories - A Lifetime of Challenges”
This 2nd international workshop for women in big data brings together a multi disciplinary group working on Big Data research in academia and industry.
Organized as part of the National Research Program “Big Data” (NRP 75), administered by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). The focus of NRP 75 is on Big Data research from multiple disciplinary perspectives, tackling a variety of technical, societal, regulatory, and ethical research issues.
WiBD 2019 cuts across disciplines. It brings together international scholars working on Big Data research with NRP 75 women for talks, posters, panel discussions, as well as informal exchanges. The workshop invites women working on Big Data research to connect with each other, to discuss the challenges they face in their careers as well as in research, and to allow for potential exchanges leading to future research collaboration.
Women in Big Data 2019
20-21 June, Zürich
Keynote: Caitlin Kraft-Buchman Women@theTable
Triple A - Affirmative Action for Algorithms: A concrete call for action
Marshall McLuhan, the Canadian media theorist, famously stated that “We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us”.
If algorithms are fed with sexist data from skewed databases, the writers of algorithms are not taking bias into consideration, AND the algorithms are impossible to audit, what can we do to ensure we do not bake in bias so deeply we will be unable to remove it from machine learning systems.
This keynote will propose Triple A: Affirmative Action for Algorithms, a concrete call to action to correct the real life bias and barriers that prevent women from achieving full participation and rights. We will examine actions ranging from universities to government to private sector initiatives, pledges, actions, and the opportunity to catalyze a movement.
Gender Parity in UN Human Rights Bodies & Mechanisms
27 June, 3:30-4:30, Room VIII,
Palais de Nations, Geneva
The Human Rights Council plays a significant role in highlighting issues of concern for the international
community, encouraging States and UN bodies and agencies to take action to overcome
situations of discrimination, and setting forward recommendations that promote that agenda.
In this sense, the HRC can play a fundamental role in overcoming the historic inequality
faced by women when it comes to participation and representation in international bodies.
A discussion on the scope and impact of women’s
underrepresentation in international bodies to explore the different contributions +
actions that the HRC, and other UN bodies, agencies, and mechanisms, could undertake to
promote gender parity in international bodies.- Opening Remarks: Meskerem Geset Techane, Chair, WG Discrimination against Women in Law & in Practice
- Baroness Helena Kennedy, Director of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI)
- Verónica Birga, Chief of the Women's Human Rights and Gender Section of the OHCHR
- Diego Ruiz Gayol, Permanent Mission of Mexico to the UN in Geneva
- Claudia Martin, Co-Director Academy for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law, GQUAL Campaign Secretariat
- Moderator: Caitlin Kraft-Buchman Women@theTable
Chatham House 2019 Gender & Growth Forum
8-9 July, London
This annual forum brings together action-oriented policymakers, business leaders, entrepreneurs, activist and academics to generate key policy ideas and support the work of the Women 20 (W20) and other international forums.
The central idea behind the forum this year is solutions to re-shape the world of work so that it works not only for women but for society as a whole.
Women At The Table is very proud to be participating with our Call to Action for Affirmative Action for Algorithms on Session Three: Women driving the digital revolution
Digital technology is fundamentally changing the way we work and live, bringing tremendous opportunities to support the public good, but also risks and new challenges. Blockchain technology, for example, offers a powerful tool to fix sustainability problems in many fields such as supply chain traceability, migrant labour and financial inclusion. But, given the low level of participation of women in the design and development of digital technologies, how can we prevent the amplification of gender discrimination by biased data-sets, models and algorithms in Artificial Intelligence (AI)? This session will examine how we can build ethical, moral, and human values into the future of AI and what governance mechanisms must be in place to minimize AI’s potential harm and maximize its benefits.
Panel
Mark Blick, Head of Government Solutions, Diginex, Hong Kong
Allison Gardner, Lecturer, Keele University, Co-Founder Women Leading in AI
Caitlin Kraft-Buchman, CEO/Founder, Women at the Table, Switzerland
Janneke Niessen, Founder, Capital IT, The Netherlands
Moderator: Emily Taylor, Associate Fellow, International Security Department, and Editor, Journal of Cyber Policy, Chatham House; CEO, Oxford Information Labs
Human Rights Council Annual Panel Discussion on the integration of a gender perspective in the work of the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms
23 September
4-6pm CET, Human Rights Council,
Palais des Nations, Geneva
Panel discussion will be broadcast live and archived on http://webtv.un.org
The 2019 panel discussion theme ‘Gender-responsive initiatives to accelerate gender equality’ will focus on gender parity as a key element of gender equality and how it contributes to the integration of a gender perspective in the work of the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms.
The panel will analyze new gender-responsive initiatives, such as gender responsive assemblies, and how they have potential to drive effective change within the HRC and its mechanisms.
- Women@theTable and Founder Caitlin Kraft-Buchman are thrilled to have been asked to
Moderate the Annual Panel Discussion
We look forward to a fruitful discussion with
- Ms Elizabeth S. Salmón, Chair of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee
- Ms Alejandra Vicente, Member of the Secretariat of the GQUAL Campaign and Head of Law at REDRESS, and others.
- Ms Kate Gilmore, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights will provide an opening statement at the panel discussion.
Partnerships & Collaborations 2019
Women@TheTable is honored to be collaborating with some trailblazing organizations, and their exceptional members & grantees in 2019 including...
The Oak Foundation
Issues Affecting Women Programme
Oak: building a strong and vibrant movement of women who are empowered individually and collectively to challenge patriarchal norms and tackle the root causes of inequality.
International Gender Champions
Geneva, New York, Vienna, Nairobi, Den Haag
A leadership network that brings together female & male decision-makers to break down gender barriers for system change.
Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
United Nations and International Organizations Division
w@tt is extremely proud to be the Gender Platform working with the Swiss Government to highlight the Geneva Gender Experience in multilateral fora.
Republique et Canton de Genève
post tenebras lux
w@tt is grateful for the support of the Republique et Canton de Genève.
Paris Peace Forum
Chosen to be one of ten projects followed by the Paris Peace Forum over the year. IGC will help open the 2019 edition.
IPU
Inter-Parliamentary Union
Co-Chairs w/ w@tt & Sweden of the IGC Representation Impact Group
ITC
International Trade Centre
Co-Chairs w/ Iceland & Botswana of the IGC Trade Impact Group
UNECE
UN Economic Commission for Europe
Initiative for Gender-Responsive Standards
UNIDIR
UN Institute for Disarmament Research
Co-Chairs w/ Ireland, Canada, Namibia of the IGC Disarmament Impact Group
#SheTrades
International Trade Centre (ITC) Women & Trade Programme
bringing one million women to market by 2020
Graduate Institute Geneva
Credit Suisse
Working on w@tt's idea for Open Source Software that can track women's participation & influence in international fora
ECOSOC
United Nations Economic and Social Council
w@tt is extremely proud to have achieved ECOSOC status at the UN in 2018.
Plan International
UNCTAD
UN Conference on Trade & Development
World Bank Group
Women, Business & The Law
Women in Global Health
Increasing the visibility and recognition of women’s contributions to global health & achieving gender equality in global health leadership.
Wamama Tujenge
Femmes.
Batisseuses de la Paix.
Stories of ordinary women creating extraordinary change in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with partner Julienne Lusenge, recipient of French Legion of Honour, Amnesty International’s Ginetta Sagan Award & 2018 International Women's Rights Award.
Media Matters for Women
Our partner in Wamama Tujenge, Media Matters for Women is at the forefront of harnessing the potential of mobile phones to address the unmet information needs of women and girls in rural Africa.
Huairou Commission
Women, Homes, Communities
A global coalition empowering grassroots women leaders in development and policy-making around the world.
TrustLaw
Thomson Reuters Foundation’s global pro bono legal programme connecting high-impact NGOs and social enterprises working to create social and environmental change with the best law firms and corporate legal teams to provide them with free legal assistance and groundbreaking legal research.
Gender equality & democracy
establishing new norms, now
Lucy Smith and Pauline Ranken of the Ladies' Scottish Climbing Club, Salisbury Crags. c.1908
Lucy Smith and Pauline Ranken of the Ladies' Scottish Climbing Club, Salisbury Crags. c.1908
Join Us
Have a collaboration in mind?
Follow us on social media or come visit us at Maison de la Paix in Geneva.
Women@
TheTable Admin[at]WomenAtTheTable[dot]Net
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WomenAtTheTable Partnerships & Collaborations 2017
Women@TheTable is honored to be collaborating with some trailblazing organizations, and their exceptional members & grantees in 2017 including...
The Oak Foundation
Issues Affecting Women Programme
Oak: building a strong and vibrant movement of women who are empowered individually and collectively to challenge patriarchal norms and tackle the root causes of inequality.
International Gender Champions
Geneva, New York, Bonn-Berlin, Vienna
A leadership network that brings together female & male decision-makers to break down gender barriers for system change.
Breakthrough Barriers
Women in the Public Sphere
A co-production with the Women in Public Service Project of the Wilson Center. 2017 saw us bring together sitting women in the executive, judiciary, and legislature for a unique global gathering in Geneva.
World YWCA
Youth Forum @the Human Rights Council
Working together with the amazing youth leaders gathered in Geneva to advocate at the Human Rights Council.
Republique et Canton de Genève
post tenebras lux
w@tt is grateful for the support of the Republique et Canton de Genève.
Fondation Hirondelle
Wamama Tujenge
Hirondelle - Media for Peace & Human Dignity - and Kandindi are our producing partners in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo on Wamama Tujenge, Les Femmes Construisons la Paix.
Media Matters For Women (MMW)
Wamama Tujenge
MMW: at the forefront of harnessing Bluetooth technology to address the unmet information needs of women and girls
in rural Africa, our partner producing Wamama Tujenge bringing these stories of extraordinary women to the last mile !
UN Environment
Gender & Environment
Launch of UN Environment's
Global Gender and Environment Outlook
during World Environment Day celebrations in Geneva
#SheTrades
Women & Trade, International Trade Centre (ITC)
bringing one million women entrepreneurs to market by 2020.
UNECE
Economic Commission for Europe
Initiative for gender-responsive standards.
Women in Global Health
Increasing the visibility and recognition of women’s contributions to global health and achieving gender equality in global health leadership.
Women@TheTable: The Cutting Edge
Women@TheTable inaugurated its first Mistletoe Session
at Marmalade: Arts at the Old Fire Station on the fringe at Skoll 2015
with a cutting edge panel of fearless and brilliant women leaders.
Meagan Fallone, the CEO of Barefoot College in India, now scaling its revolutionary rural model around the world;
Musimbi Kanyoro, President & CEO of The Global Fund for Women, #BeTheSpark campaign to put women + technology front + center;
Antonella Notari Vischer, Director of Womanity Foundation’s groundbreaking work in Afghanistan, Brazil, Middle East + North Africa;
Jensine Larsen, Founder of World Pulse’s digital vision to connect women worldwide + give voice to the voiceless,
Sharon Bylenga, Founder, Media Matters for Women, connecting rural women to information + community through technology
Women@TheTable joyfully spoke with some of the most effective, lovely and badass women making waves and changing lives on the global social entrepreneur scene.
at Marmalade: Arts at the Old Fire Station, Oxford
