10 Ways to Engage Men & Boys to Counter Backlash - UN General Assembly Side Event
- Event Dates
- 23 September 2025 to 24 September 2025
- Event Locations
- Online, New York
- Languages
- English, AI captions
- Event Duration
- 2 hours
- Event Start Time
- 1:00pm (New_York)
Across the globe, anti-gender and anti-rights movements are gaining ground, weaponizing patriarchal masculinities to reinforce traditional power hierarchies, roll back human rights, and weaken efforts toward gender equality, democracy, and climate justice.
Join us on the sidelines of the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA80) as we explore these issues and introduce a new resource for advocates working to counter the backlash by engaging men and boys.
How to join
If you are attending UNGA80, you can click here to register your interest to attend this event in person. Please RSVP by Sunday, September 21 at 11:59 PM EST to confirm your participation and receive further details. Space in the room is limited. Registration is done on a first come first serve basis.
If you would like to join online, you can register to join the Zoom livestream here.
What to expect
- Learn about a new factsheet and guidance 10 Ways to Engage Men & Boys to Counter Backlash.
- Listen to the panellists’ analysis on the role of masculinities in fuelling anti-gender backlash.
- Learn about strategies for engaging men and boys as allies in advancing gender, social, and climate justice.
- Engage in a platform for reflection and collective action across national and global levels.
This event will bring together:
- Policymakers and UN delegates attending UNGA80
- Civil society leaders and activists working on gender equality, democracy, and climate justice
- Academics and practitioners focused on masculinities, human rights, and countering backlash
- Media, donors, and UN agencies seeking strategies to strengthen gender justice
Schedule
- Welcome
Framing the urgency of countering backlash in the UNGA context and beyond.
Opening remarks by the Men, Masculinities and Countering Backlash Collective, making the links to work on men and masculinities and the rising backlash and strategies/solutions to counter it.
- Launch
Official launch of “10 Ways to Engage Men & Boys to Counter Backlash.”
The 10 key strategies identified by the Men, Masculinities and Countering Backlash Collective will be presented.
- Panel
Speakers will discuss the problem and solutions around engaging men and boys to counter backlash
We'll start by examining the problem, with a focus on how this movement recruits and leverages patriarchal masculinities. Then, we will turn to the solution, discussing the critical importance of engaging men and boys as a strategic counter to this backlash. Finally, our discussion will provide practical guidance on how to effectively do this work and create meaningful change.
- Q&A
Dialogue with the audience
An opportunity to deepen engagement and identify entry points for collaboration.
- Closing
Closing remarks from the Men, Masculinities and Countering Backlash Collective
We will discuss next steps, opportunities, and ways forward with regards to engaging men and boys to counter backlash, as well as underscoring our collective call for policy action with regards to engaging men and boys to counter backlash.