Malaysia Women & Girls Forum 2022 Schedule
10:05 AM
Welcome Address
Ms. Karima El Korri, United Nations Resident Coordinator for Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei Darussalam
10:10 AM
Opening Remarks
Dr. Asa Torkelsson, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Malaysia Representative
10:15 AM
Keynote Address
Yang Berhormat Dato' Sri Nancy Shukri, Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, Malaysia
10:25 AM
MWGF 2022 Launch
Official launch of Malaysia Women & Girls Forum 2022
10:30 AM
Guidelines and Overview
Overall Format, Concept and Mechanism by Tehmina Kaoosji, MWGF Head of Secretariat
10:40 AM - 11:00 AM
Soft Launch of Special Report on: "Enhancing Human Capital Through Sexual & Reproductive Health Investments & Family Support Policies in Malaysia" by UNFPA Malaysia, Economic Planning Unit (EPU) Malaysia & Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health
This report identifies the pathways through which investments in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) contribute to the stock of human capital in Malaysia, and promote health, social and economic well-being.
A special overview and introduction to the report will be given by:
- Davide De Beni, Health Economist at United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Asia and the Pacific Regional Office
11:00 AM - 11:45 AM
Plenary Session 1 - The impact of Sexual & Reproductive Health & Rights (SRHR) on Malaysia’s Women & Girls and their Economic Equity
Taking perspectives and findings from the UNFPA, EPU & T.H Chan Harvard School of Public Health report, while emphasising SRHR access as key to reducing unplanned pregnancies and women’s unpaid care labour.
SRHR access increases women and girls attaining their full potential, on a personal level as well as through female labour force participation rate (LFPR), economic productivity and overall national development.
Moderator: Tehmina Kaoosji, MWGF Head of Secretariat
Panellists:
Dato Dr. Narimah Awin, Technical Advisor on Sexual & Reproductive Health& Rights UNFPA Malaysia
Dato' Dr. Hartini Zainudin, Co-Founder, Yayasan Chow Kit & Child Rights Activist
Dr. John Teo, Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, Sexual & Reproductive Health and Family Planning Advocate
Petra Gimbad, former Secretary, Reproductive Rights Advocacy Alliance Malaysia (RRAAM)
11:45 AM - 12:25 PM
Keynote Session 2: Understanding Social Norms & Gender Differences in LFPR - perspectives on Malaysia's low female LFPR
Join us for Dr. Saizi Xiao’s presentation to learn why these social norms & gender differences matter and what can be done to close them, her recommendations for the Malaysian context, linking back to regional research & findings, while focusing on the context of pandemic economic recovery through women’s economic equity and boosting women’s low LFPR .
Speaker
Dr. Saizi Xiao, Assistant Professor, School of Economics, Department of Social Sciences, University of Nottingham
Moderator
Amirul Ruslan, Independent Journalist, Photographer and Writer
12:35 PM - 1:30 PM
Lunch Break
A short recess
1:30 PM - 2:35 PM
Plenary Session 2: From gaps to opportunity - The burden of Unpaid care-work and the transformation to the care economy.
Unpaid care is cited as the most frequent impediment to women’s economic potential & development. With responsibilities including housework, child care, elderly care and others generally falling to women - this limits the number of hours, headspace and capability of women to balance care work and economic activity (especially for female headed households). How can social, infrastructural, financial and legislative tools be optimised to alleviate unpaid care work? Having the established that there is a huge demand for care work - how do we change the narrative from care work to the care economy and what needs to be done?
Moderator:
Associate Professor Dr. Sharifah Syahirah S.Sheikh, Senior Lecturer
Kolej Universiti Poly-Tech MARA (KUPTM)
Panellists:
Yang Berhormat Rodziah Ismail, Member of Parliament, Ampang
Sumitra Visvanathan, Executive Director, Women’s Aid Organisation
Professor Dr.Shanthi Thambiah, Gender Studies Program, Universiti Malaya
Tashny Sukumaran, Senior Analyst, Institute Of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS)
2:35 PM - 3:15 PM
Keynote 3: Understanding the multi-dimensional poverty of economically marginalised women and establishing key life-cycle interventions.
In Malaysia’s quest to leave no one behind, the COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated socio-economic gaps. Especially when it comes to the economically marginalised women & girls in both rural and urban landscapes. Its vital to firstly understand the causality factors (both socially & economically) and why they perpetuate. An examination of the current infrastructures set in place and understanding gaps and strategically understanding where key interventions are needed.
Keynote by:
Rashaad Ali, Chief Strategy & Operations Officer, Social & Economic Research Initiative (SERI)
Moderator:
Yiswaree Palansamy, Senior Correspondent, Malay Mail
3:15 PM - 4:30 PM
Plenary Session 3: Levelling the Playing field - The social & youth narrative
This panel outlines key questions, perspectives and solutions on factors impacting women’s economic and developmental potential including the importance of women’s political participation in policymaking.
What are the expectations of our youth when it comes to entering the workplace - especially when it comes to gender? What’s the role of the mass media in establishing the equality narrative? What is the role of the private & public sector in ensuring that opportunities and access for women, including disabled women- remain equitable? When it comes to access to education or specialising in non-traditional subjects how are girls treated differently and how do we overcome this?
Moderator:
Ushar Daniele, Independent Broadcast Journalist
Panellists:
Yang Berhormat Lim Yi Wei, Kampung Tunku Assemblyperson, DAP Women Selangor Organising Secretary, DAPSY Damansara Chief
Suraya Zainuddin, Financial Blogger
Nisshanthan Dhanapalan, Communications Consultant
Sazriena Razali, Student & Head of Bureau for Culture & Activity Persatuan Mahasiswa Orang Asli (PMOA)
Miza Marsya Roslan, Persons with Disabilities (PWD) Youth Advocate, Assistant Secretary of Spinal Muscular Atrophy Malaysia (SMAM)
4:30 PM - 4:35 PM
MWGF 2022 RESOLUTION
The MWGF, head of Secretariat, Tehmina Kaoosji will present key recommendations to be compiled into the MWGF 2021 Summary and presented to both relevant ministries, committees & organisations
4:40 PM
Closing
End of MWGF 2022