8 publications to better understand MenEngage Alliance
Our publications draw on the collective knowledge and experience of members and partners, including critical feminist voices. In this post, we share seven publications that offer an insight into who we are, what we stand for, and what we work towards. Together, they are a comprehensive overview of the political agenda of MenEngage Alliance at a global level.
On this page, you can find eight key readings on our collective (and evolving) understandings of transforming patriarchal masculinities and working with men and boys for gender, climate, and social justice. The resources below are a good place to start for anyone looking to learn more about the political agenda of MenEngage Alliance across a range of topics.
They also offer important insights into the broader work to transform patriarchal masculinities and the work with men and boys for gender, climate and social justice.
1. A Handbook of what we see, what we believe, and our strategic approaches
This document is an ideal introduction for anyone looking to get an overview of who we are, what we believe, and our strategic approaches. It sums up our shared strategy and approaches to creating change. It is summarized from our Strategic Plan, which has been created through an extensive and collaborative process among representatives from across MenEngage Alliance, plus key external partners.
Click here to download the Handbook.
2. Our Accountability Framework
Our Accountability Framework is made up of three key documents:
By being a part of MenEngage Alliance, members make a commitment to learning about—and putting into practice—these principles, commitments, and aspirations.
They are a great starting point in better understanding who we are, what we stand for, and the world we want to see.
3. Contexts and Challenges for Gender Transformative Work with Men and Boys
This paper explores the ways that masculinities form a common thread running through a multitude of global problems. It looks at how the world continues to be shaped in profound ways by ideas and attitudes around being a man. By doing so, it provides perspective on the political, economic and socio-cultural forces confronting the world today.
Click here to download the paper.
The paper breaks down its analysis into six themes:
- Gender Justice: The Need for Systemic Change
- Political Contexts: Authoritarianism, Ethnonationalism and Militarism
- Economic Contexts: Neoliberalism, Climate Crisis and Care Economies
- Social Contexts: Anti-Feminism, Normalized Violence and Politicized Religion
- Digital Contexts: Media, Attention Economies and the Manosphere
- Operational Contexts: Rationale, Accountability and Social Change
You can also watch an online dialogue series based on the above topics here.
4. Ubuntu Symposium Discussion Papers e-book
This e-book compiles six discussion papers from the 3rd MenEngage Global Symposium – the Ubuntu Symposium.
Click here to download the e-book.
The discussion papers are also available to download separately:
- Engaging men and boys in ending gender-based violence, including violence against women and girls
- Backlash and Fundamentalism
- Men, Masculinities and Climate Justice
- Peacebuilding and Countering Militarism
- Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and sexual orientation, gender identity and expression and sex characteristics (SOGIESC)
- Unpaid Care and Economies of Care
The papers explore a range of critical topics around transforming patriarchal masculinities and working with men and boys for gender justice. They reflect the inputs of many activists, researchers, policy-makers, and people working with men and boys for gender justice around the world.
5. The Delhi and Ubuntu Declarations and Calls to Action
In 2014, MenEngage Alliance came together in Delhi for our 2nd Global Symposium. This resulted in the Delhi Declaration and Call to Action; A milestone set of commitments for MenEngage Alliance members, partners and the broader field of work with men and boys for gender equality.
Click here to download the Delhi Declaration and Call to Action.
Then, in 2020, we held the 3rd MenEngage Global Symposium in partnership with MenEngage Africa, Rwanda MenEngage Network (RWAMNET), and local partner, Rwanda Men’s Resource Centre (RWAMREC). This event came to be known as the MenEngage Ubuntu Symposium. The Ubuntu Declaration and Call to Action is one of its outcome documents.
Click here to download the Ubuntu Declaration and Call to Action.
The Ubuntu Declaration and Call to Action builds on its Delhi counterpart. It reflects a deepened acknowledgement, solidarity and commitment towards a systems change agenda, which has long been advocated by intersectional feminist voices, organisations, and leaders. It also centers values and practices of accountability, decolonisation, intergenerational dialogue, allyship, and inner work for social change.
6. MenEngage on the spot
This report summarizes an accountability dialogue on the work of MenEngage Alliance. It is based on the views of feminist and gender justice activists regarding MenEngage Alliance and our accountability practices.
Click here to download ‘MenEngage On The Spot’
The dialogue offered a critical lens on accountability practices of MenEngage Alliance—past, present and future—as well as practices in general among those working with men and boys for gender justice.
It is based on an open conversation putting MenEngage Alliance ‘on the spot’ that took place at the UN Commission on the Status of Women in 2018.
7. Mapping masculinities in global gender policies and frameworks
For a number of years, MenEngage Alliance has been working through its Advocacy Working Group to track the ways that ‘men and masculinities’ are showing up in global policy frameworks.
Explore the the Language Mappings
This includes policy frameworks developed through the UN Human Rights Council, the Commission on the Status of Women, Beijing +25, and Generation Equality Forum. Our aim is to monitor and advance/progress on policy language relevant to men and masculinities—from across relevant high-level documents.
This mapping of language is available for anyone wishing to understand what global frameworks and agreements are in place in relation to transforming patriarchal masculinities and engaging men and boys for gender justice.
It is a useful resource for lobbying policy makers, and holding them accountable to global agreements and frameworks.
8. Policy Analysis Toolkit and country scorecards
This toolkit is for analyzing gender equality policies that include a focus on men and boys. It allows you to examine the extent to which policies that focus on engaging men and boys are gender-transformative. This includes evaluating how well they incorporate intersectional feminist approaches and human rights.
It therefore provides a framework and guidance for members, partners, and policy makers seeking/who want to develop more effective and accountable policies for transforming patriarchal masculinities and working with men and boys for gender justice.
The Policy Toolkit can help to:
- Gain an in-depth understanding of the quality of a policy in your context, and to what extent it is likely to support gender justice, women’s rights, and LGBTQI rights
- Hold governments to account on the quality and implementation of a policy
- Provide evidence to support calls for policy change
- Monitor and address increasing populism and backlash against women’s rights and rights of LGBTQI people within policies
The toolkit was developed in partnership with feminist consultants, FemJust.
To explore all our resources, visit the Resources area. There, you can use the drop-down filters to explore resources based on a strategy, such as advocacy, or a topic, such as gender-based violence.
If you prefer to listen and watch, there is an extensive library of discussions and event recordings on our YouTube page.