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HeForShe Lab May 2025: Practical Pathways to Addressing Structural Barriers to Gender Equality
4 – 7 May 2026 - The HeForShe Lab 2026 convened Alliance members, National Chapters, UN Women Country Offices, and external partners across four virtual thematic sessions focused on: Women’s Leadership and Political Participation; Ending Violence Against Women and Girls; Sport as a Driver of Transformative Change for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE); Women’s Economic Empowerment.
Across the four days, discussions highlighted the importance of addressing structural inequalities and discriminatory social norms through partnerships, institutional accountability, male allyship, and practical approaches to advancing gender equality. The Lab brought together participants from across sectors and regions and created a valuable space for strategic reflection, peer learning, and exchange of operational experiences and approaches.
The HeForShe Lab generated several important reflections on the current opportunities, challenges, and priorities for advancing gender equality across sectors and contexts. Across the four sessions, discussions consistently highlighted the importance of moving beyond commitments toward more practical, coordinated, and locally grounded approaches to change. Participants emphasized the value of creating spaces for exchange across the Alliance, particularly to share operational experiences, lessons learned, and concrete examples of implementation.
Key Reflections:
Key reflections emerging from the Lab highlighted the importance of addressing gender inequality through interconnected approaches that combine transforming narratives, improving material conditions, and strengthening collective action alongside institutional accountability. Participants expressed strong appreciation for practical and locally grounded examples that demonstrated how gender equality commitments are being translated into institutional reform, partnerships, campaigns, community-based initiatives, and day-to-day operational practice. There was also clear recognition of the critical role that partnerships across governments, private sector actors, civil society, National Committees, Country Offices, and youth networks play in driving sustainable and scalable change. Discussions further reflected growing interest in practical approaches related to masculinities and male allyship, youth engagement, unpaid care, innovative financing, and the localisation of HeForShe initiatives. Overall, participants underscored the value of the Lab as a platform for peer learning and cross-sector exchange, bringing together diverse experiences, insights, and approaches from across the Alliance and the broader gender equality ecosystem.
The Lab generated several areas for continued discussion and collaboration across the Alliance, including:
Exploring innovative and diversified financing approaches to strengthen and sustain HeForShe initiatives at country level.
Continued discussion on how HeForShe can effectively contribute to advancing women’s leadership and political participation.
Greater exchange between National Committees, Country Offices, and Alliance members on successful campaigns, operational models, and localisation approaches.
Practical approaches to engaging young people in HeForShe initiatives and increasing awareness and use of the HeForShe Toolkit, including university-based activations.
Further exploration of masculinities, male allyship, unpaid care, and social norms change approaches.
Continued sharing of practical implementation examples and lessons learned from NGOs, private sector partners, and community-level initiatives.
Continued exchange of practical implementation examples and lessons learned from NGOs, private sector partners, and community-level initiatives.
Follow-up presentations and exchanges on Spain’s Feminist Foreign Policy and Henkel’s campaign in support of HeForShe on equal care and laundry responsibilities.
Resources:
Women’s Leadership and Political Participation:
Ending violence against women:
Sports as a Driver of Transformative Change for GEWE :
Women’s Economic Empowerment: