ABU DHABI | Twenty-eight Seeds and other changemakers from across South Asia met in the United Arab Emirates from December 4-7 as part of Seeds of Peace’s GATHER+971 regional summit.
GATHER is an initiative that aims to accelerate the efforts of Graduate Seeds and other leaders in their communities. The summit, hosted by New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), focused on advancing the role of women and girls in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
“We brought together these emerging leaders to give them an opportunity to share best practices, gain skills and relationships that can be valuable to their work,” said Director of Seeds of Peace South Asia Programs Awista Ayub.
“Participants also launched commitments to action to take practical steps toward advancing the economic, social, or political participation of women and girls, or increasing media coverage around those issues affecting women and girls.”
GATHER+971 opened with a screening of the powerful award-winning documentary “Frame by Frame” followed by a conversation with one of the featured Afghan photojournalist in the film, Farzana Wahidy.
NYU Professor Sylvia Maier, who has worked in Afghanistan and Pakistan focused on advancing the legal rights of women in both countries, addressed the participants, as did Nidhi Dubey, India Director of Girl Rising, NYUAD Director of Experiential Education Tina Mangieri, and NYUAD Associate Vice Chancellor Carol Brandt.
Participants also held five roundtable conversations focused on education, the role of the media in covering gender sensitive stories, increasing economic opportunities for women, and legal rights as a framework for supporting women’s rights.
PROGRAM PHOTOS