Monday briefing: Advocating for progressive male-engagement policies to counter backlash

- Event Date
- 15 June 2026
- Event Location
- Online
- Language
- English
- Event Duration
- 1 hour
- Event Start Time
- 2:00pm (London)
Join us on Monday, 15 June, for a briefing session on mobilizing regional policymakers to counter anti-rights backlash. Start your week a new advocacy resource jointly developed by international organizations working with men and boys.
Around the world, well-funded anti-rights movements have gained institutional power and are actively driving the political agenda in many parts of the world. By promoting disinformation and framing gender equality as a threat to ‘tradition’ or ‘social order’, they are rolling back the hard-won gains of women and LGBTQIA+ communities worldwide.
In response, policymakers around the world are increasingly turning to gender justice organizations for strategic solutions to the growing anti-gender backlash. They need concrete, political actions — and engaging men and boys is a critical piece of the puzzle.
Join MenEngage Alliance as we start the week with a Monday briefing webinar launching a new policy resource, and explore how it can be used across advocacy, policymaking, communications, and institutional engagement efforts.
What to expect
The session will explore:
- How anti-rights actors strategically exploit masculinities in political, social, and digital contexts to fuel backlash.
- Practical recommendations for how you can mobilise policy-makers around engaging men and boys to counter anti-gender movements.
- Feminist-informed policy strategies to help policymakers build inclusive, rights-based responses to protect democracy and equality.
- A framework of advocacy ‘asks’ that can be adapted to your context or target policy process
Co-created by organisations with diverse experience doing policy advocacy in the context of backlash, this tool bridges the gap between theory and action.