Femina Vox International Forum 5th Edition

Voices for women's rights 2025

MAKING WOMEN’S VOICES HEARD

PEACE EDUCATION AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

Created and Directed by Dr Guila Clara Kessous,

UNESCO Artist for Peace & Ambassador for Peace (Geneva)

REPLAY

GALLERY

Wednesday March 5th, 2025
3.00pm - 6.00pm CET (Paris time)
UNESCO's Headquarters, Room 1
Celebrating 30th anniversary of Beijing Declaration

The Femina Vox International Forum provides a global platform for women's voices across all sectors of society, allowing them to express their struggles, successes, and aspirations. Because gender equality is still far from being achieved, and every voice matters in advancing women's rights worldwide, more than twenty speakers will share their experiences and propose concrete solutions to drive change at their level.

“Women need to have access to the same rights as men, not as women, but as human beings. The recognition of those women’s rights will only be achieved together in a side-by-side fight, men and women united to finally build the society of tomorrow”

Dr Guila Clara Kessous

UNESCO Artist for Peace – Ambassador for Peace of the Universal Circle of Ambassadors of Peace (Geneva)

PROGRAM FEMINA VOX 2025

3:00 pm – Opening Speech by Dr. Guila Clara Kessous, UNESCO Artist for Peace & Peace Ambassador, Director of Femina Vox International Forum

3:10 pm – Artistic Performance - Dancer Mrs Qian Qu (China)

3:20 pm – Roundtable : Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration

A signature roundtable featuring high-profile women leaders reminding the importance of the Beijing Declaration
Focus on the Platform for Action to better understand the resonance of today’s responsibility towards women empowerment
Mrs. Wang Yanping, Senior Social Worker, Board Member of Asian Women Development Plan International, Vice Chair of Supervisory Board, Shaanxi Women Legal Professionals Association, Policy Advisory Expert of the 13th CPPCC (Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference) Shaanxi Provincial Committee. (China)
Prof. Wang Xiangxian, Department of Sociology, College of Philosophy and Social Development, Shandong University, China. Executive director of the Council of Chinese Women’s Research Society, All-China Women’s Federation. (China)
Mrs. Yvonne Yung Hun, actress and former beauty queen (China)

3:55 pm – Artistic Performance – The Mammas from Congo

4:00 pm – Discussion : Women in diplomacy

High-level discussion featuring woman political leaders to understand better women empowerment in diplomacy
Focus on the achievements, challenges, and future of women in international relations and diplomacy
Mrs. Chantal Chambu Mwavita, Minister for Human Rights (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

4:40 pm – Artistic Performance – Singer Mrs. Hura Mirshekari (Iran)

4:45 pm – Roundtable : Women’s entrepreneurship

A roundtable presenting women’s rights today and the continual fight for equality with grounded solutions in the most challenging situations
Far from victimization, this roundtable present entrepreneurship of women who are working for freedom for basic rights in desperate situations.
Mrs. Hamida Aman, Director of Radio Begum (Afghanistan)
Mrs. Shayda Hessami, NGO Humanitarian Help and Journalism in Middle East (France)
Mrs. Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, former French Minister, President of « France Terre d’Asile » (France)
Mrs. Bushra Alzoubi, Human Rights Activist (Syria / France)

5:15 pm – Artistic Performance: The Asian Women Choir (Bangladesh)

5:20 pm – Roundtable : Transforming MEN’talities for positive masculinities

A roundtable celebrating male allies who actively promote gender equality.
Presenting definitions of “positive masculinity”
Mr. Mathieu Narendra, Executive Director of Alternatives, Activist for the Rights of Women and Marginalized people, 2017 Mandela Washington Fellow, and 2019 Young Leader of the French African Foundation (Madagascar)
Mr. Siyabulela Jentile, Founder “Not in my name international”, “Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders” (South Africa)
Mr Marcos Vinicius Torres Pereira, Full professor of Civil Law and Private International Law, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, National Law School (Brazil)

5:50 pm – Wrap up by Guila Clara Kessous, UNESCO Artist for Peace & Peace Ambassador, Director of Femina Vox International Forum

5:55 pm – Artistic Performance - Singer Mrs. Joyce Jonathan (France)