Only through unity and collaboration can we overcome obstacles to gender justice: A message from the global leadership team

By our Global Co-Chairs, Samitha Sugathimala & Festus Kisa; and Co-Directors, laxman belbase & Joni van de Sand 

For the past two decades, a community has been growing around the world. It is made up of people and organisations who share a common purpose; to tap into the potential of men and boys to step up as agents of change for the achievement of equality for all.

MenEngage Alliance was born out of this community, officially launching as a network in 2006. Today, it is a unique, globally-recognised platform of leading actors, all around the world, pushing forward the work on transforming patriarchal masculinities towards gender justice, climate justice, and social justice for all — and engaging men and boys in these efforts. 

Over the years, MenEngage Alliance has evolved to be an agenda-setter, global convener and trustworthy voice, aligned around a shared vision and mission of transforming unequal power relations and dismantling patriarchal systems.

Our four-year report aims to provide an overview of what this community — coming together as national, regional, and global MenEngage networks — has achieved in the past four years; a period representing the 2021 – 2024 Strategic Period for the Alliance.

It is a period that has seen our members come together in new and innovative ways. It has forged new connections, collaborations, and partnerships, from local communities to global policy discussions. It is a period of growth that has pushed us into joint reflections and reaffirmations around who we are, what we stand for, and what we want to achieve together. This has meant not only looking at our impact in the world, but also engaging in honest self-reflection, knowing we must hold ourselves to the same values we promote. 

Centring collective action

Throughout this time, we have centered the power of collective action. With collectivity as a guide, members of MenEngage Alliance have worked together to drive global policy change, enhance impact and standards across the field, shape the agenda for working with men and boys, and deepen the understanding of how male-engagement strategies align with intersectional feminist work for gender equality. 

The need to connect with men and boys in positive ways on gender equality, climate and social justice has come into ever-sharper focus over the four year period covered by the report. The lure of men, particularly of younger generations, into narratives rooted in male victimhood, anti-feminism, and misogyny, has been well-reported in the media and is a major concern among practitioners and policy makers. In a relatively short period of time, narratives driving these trends have shifted from the confines of the ​‘manosphere’ into the mainstream.

In stark contrast to the positive and empowering messages championed by decades of feminist progress, aggressive displays of masculinity now cast a shadow over the public consciousness. This can be seen from viral videos of self-styled ​“alpha male” social media influencers, to the messaging of far-right politicians aiming to reassert the male as the head of the family and nation state.

Beyond rhetoric, these trends arise from and sustain a world in which women, girls and gender non-conforming people — as well as men and boys — continue to face an epidemic of violence at the hands of men. Anyone who doubted whether patriarchy is alive and well in the 21^st Century can find their answer in these and countless other examples. 

As anti-gender actors grow increasingly influential, these challenges are likely to persist in the years to come. Yet we know that boys and men are looking for affirmation, connection, community, and support— in online and offline spaces. There is an enormous opportunity to engage with them and provide positive alternatives to rigid and narrow definitions of manhood based on being dominant, aggressive, or violent. Indeed, many members and partners of MenEngage are already doing this work in bold and creative ways all over the world.

With the conviction that such efforts drive progress, we move into the years ahead with the continued commitment that engaging men and boys and transforming patriarchal masculinities has the power to accelerate gender, social, and climate justice for all. 

We firmly believe that, much like the generations of social justice movements before us, our strength lies in building solidarity and coalitions. Only through unity and collaboration can we overcome obstacles and create a world rooted in equality, social justice, and care for both people and the planet.