On 14 December 2023, UNU will host “UN Women in East and Southern Africa”, a BIG IDEAS Dialogue with Dr. Maxime Houinato, Regional Director of the UN Women East and Southern Africa Regional Office. This hybrid event (online and in-person) will start at 18:30 (UTC+9) on Zoom and in the 2F Reception Hall at UNU Headquarters in Tokyo.
Dr. Houinato will join UNU Senior Vice-Rector Sawako Shirahase to discuss UN Women’s role in the East and Southern Africa Region, illustrating what is being done to realize gender equality and women’s empowerment as well as the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. Key gender equality priorities and interventions in the region will be highlighted alongside a discussion of the contextual issues that escalate inequalities. The results and impact of UN Women’s work will be referred to as well as key lessons that have been learned over the years.
Please note this event will be in English; Japanese interpretation will not be provided. Advance registration by 13 December is required.
Additionally, please be prepared to present identification at check-in.
Registration
To attend this event in person at UNU Headquarters in Tokyo, register here: https://go.unu.edu/TnNAP
To attend this event online via Zoom webinar, register here: https://go.unu.edu/W9HA2
Online participants will receive an email on the day of the event with a link to join the Zoom webinar.
About the speaker
Dr. Maxime Houinato was appointed as the Regional Director of the UN Women East and Southern Africa Regional Office in September 2021.
From 2018, Dr. Houinato served as the UN Women Country Representative in Uganda. Before going to Uganda, Dr. Houinato served as Deputy Regional Director of the UN Women Regional Office for Western and Southern Africa (2008-2014) and UN Women Country Representative in Mali (2014–2018).
Prior to joining the UN, between 2000 and 2008, Dr. Houinato held the roles of Deputy Regional Director (West Africa), and Regional Director (Southern Africa) for Oxfam UK. He also worked for other international NGOs such as Catholic Relief Services, Africare and the Academy for Educational Development in various locations including Benin, Ghana, Senegal, Niger, the UK and Thailand.
Dr. Houinato holds a Master of Business Administration from Abomey-Calavi University in Benin, a Master of Arts in International Development from Brandeis University in the US, and a Doctorate in Applied Sociology from Cheikh Anta Diop University in Senegal.
