UniSAFE Final Conference

Opening of UniSAFE’s final conference 

Annick Castiaux, Rector of the University of Namur 

Ildi Ipolyi, UniSAFE coordinator 

Keynote speech: Ensuring safety and equity in academia and research: a matter of justice

Françoise Tulkens, former judge at the European Court on Human Rights  

UniSAFE’s conceptual framework and key impacts 

Sofia Strid, UniSAFE scientific coordinator 

Commitments addressing gender-based violence at international level  

This session will set the context of institutional policy-making at international level and showcase the global relevance of UniSAFE’s findings and outputs.

• Olena Kharytonova, GREVIO, Council of Europe
  
• Carl Vannetelbosch, UNESCO, Inclusion, Rights and Intercultural Dialogue Section
• Anne Pépin, European Commission, DG RTD Gender Sector.

Policy frameworks at national level: Opportunities and limitations for institutional responses to gender-based violence.
In this panel discussion, representatives from national authorities and institutions from three countries will engage in a dialogue on how institutional policies can be enhanced or limited by national frameworks.  

Moderator: Marcela Linková, Institute of Sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciences 

Panelists:  

• Suzanne Walker, Higher Education Authority, IE
• Louise Crowley, University College Cork, IE
• Lucie Viktorinová, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, CZ
• Pavla Špondrová, Ombudsperson at Faculty of Arts, Charles University, CZ
• Chloé Mour, Ministry of Higher Education and Research, FR
• Elisabeth Kohler, CNRS, FR

Evidence for driving action within institutions: insights from UniSAFE’s research

This session will highlight some of the key results from the institutional policy mapping, case study analysis of institutional responses to gender-based violence, and the project’s multi-level analysis of its survey data. It will then present some of the recommendations for concrete action based on this research.

Presenters:

• Zuzana Andreska, Institute of Sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciences
• Maria Bustelo, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
• Anne Laure Humbert, Oxford Brookes University
• Alain Denis, Yellow Window

More evidence driving action: collecting data with a survivor-centred approach

Leveraging UniSAFE’s learnings from collecting quantitative and qualitative data through its large-scale survey and numerous interviews with researchers, as well as experience from a similar survey at national level, this session will look into data collections at national, organisational and individual levels, providing institutions with concrete recommendations on how to collect data related to gender-based violence with a survivor-centred perspective. 

Moderated by Anke Lipinsky, GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences 

Presenters:  

• Claudia Schredl, GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences 
• Vilana Pilinkaite, Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences
• Fredrik Bondestam, Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research, University of Gothenburg

Where to start? Improving, Implementing and Assessing institutional policies with the UniSAFE toolkit

This session addresses top-level management and change agents of universities and research organisations, whether they are just starting to develop policies to address gender-based violence or have already made significant progress. The spotlight of the session is on the UniSAFE toolkit, with its key components including an Action plan to support institutions in implementing and improving their policy, a Guide for designing awareness-raising campaigns, and a Guide for developing a protocol addressing gender-based violence. Institutional representatives will openly share their ongoing challenges along with inspiring practices in an exchange that will cultivate a collaborative environment with practical tips and recommendations. Finally, participants will discover the project’s guide to creating awareness-raising campaigns on gender-based violence with examples of good practice.

Moderator: Siobán O’Brien Green, Trinity College Dublin 

Presenters: 

• Panagiota Polykarpou, Yellow Window 
• Vasia Madesi, Yellow Window 

Panellists 

• Jasna Podreka, University of Ljubljana 
• Pascale Vielle, University of Louvain-la-Neuve
• François-Xavier Fiévez, University of Namur
  

Mutual learning as a means to advance change among umbrella organisations

This panel session explores the role and benefits that umbrella organisations can play in facilitating mutual learning and exchange of practices with members, and how this leads to effective development, implementation, and monitoring of institutional policies. 

Moderator: Matthias Girod, Euroscience 

Panellists 

• Francesca Bucci, LERU
• Siobán O’Brien Green, Trinity College 
• Daria Glavan, YERUN
• Ana Marija Sikirić Simčić, UNIGEM

Pathways for change: steps ahead 

The conference will conclude with broader perspectives on pathways to achieve a safe European Research Area, including developments under way of the ERA Action 5 on inclusive gender equality implementation, as well as a Spanish initiative taken within the Spanish Presidency of the EU to develop a certification system on victim-centred protection, and advances in ending gender-based violence in Spain. As UniSAFE has singled out challenges faced by higher education institutions and research organisations which call for further policymaking, the steps ahead for institutional change will be outlined at all levels, from EU to national and institutional policy and decision-making.

Speakers:  

• Marcela Linková, Co-Chair of ERA Action 5 on inclusive gender equality implementation
• Silvia Rueda, Advisory Member in the Cabinet of the Spanish Minister of Science and Innovation, Director of the Women and Science Unit, Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation
• Lut Mergaert, Research Director and Senior Consultant at Yellow Window