At the international Forests in Women’s Hands online conference from 12 – 13 April 2021, connecting women in forestry was a central theme. Participants met members of existing women’s networks and had the opportunity to exchange best practice examples and discuss relevant activities and initiatives. Additionally, the conference increased the visibility of women and their achievements in the forest sector.

Forest owners, practitioners, decision makers, and academics addressed questions such as: Why and for whom is gender equality important? What enables or prevents gender equality from being achieved in society and organizations? What determines if interventions contribute to achieving goals?

The conference is supported by the Austrian Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism, coordinated by the Austrian Research Centre for Forests (BFW) and sees as organising partners the Austrian Women in Forestry Association (Forstfrauen), the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) and the International Forestry Students’ Association (IFSA).

As the global forestry sector faces great challenges in terms of gender disparity, it has become increasingly necessary for every stakeholder involved to contribute to achieving gender equality in forestry for every person working for our environment and planet. Youth, the definitive stakeholders of the future of forestry, are no exception to this. IFSA as such, in addition to the relentless work focused on forest education, cultural understanding among students and early career professionals, aims to raise awareness on social matters and reach inclusiveness of any gender or provenience in forestry.

The strong engagement of youth, connected to forest education, is essential in the process of raising awareness for gender equality in forestry. Hence, IFSA has decided to take a stand and become one of the Organizing Partners of the Forests in Women’s Hands conference.

In order to involve youth and amplify their voices, all the while contributing to finding solutions for the challenges surrounding gender in forestry, an online IFSA delegation joined the conference and took part in several activities organised by IFSA, specifically to target youth, such as:

• Webinar series leading up to the conference, to engage with professionals in the field and informal education training platforms prior to the event
• Pre-Conference Day
• Communication-related activities, including testimonial interviews, social media posting, blog writing
• Communication and logistical support to the organisers of the event
• IFSA poster at the information market of the conference
• Youth representation at the Opening and the Stakeholder Dialogue panel discussion

IFSA, with the support of the IUFRO Gender Equality in Forestry Task Force, has developed a webinar series on gender & forestry, whose first two episodes took place leading up to the conference. Its aim is to shed light on the topic and provide learning opportunities for forestry students to solve today’s challenges surrounding gender in forestry.

A Pre-Conference Day took place online with the aim of engaging IFSA members in view of the Forests in Women’s Hands conference, enhancing their knowledge and understanding of the gender equality matter. It was structured in several interactive workshop sessions, tailored to stimulate a discussion by reflecting on gender norms and related challenges and focusing on the role that youth can play in the development of a new long-term strategy to achieve gender inclusiveness and equality in IFSA.
The event sought to empower the delegates and foster their capacity to address issues related to gender matters, while building a better understanding of the event through knowledge, networking and orientation.

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Isabelle Claire

Simone Massaro

Sylvannisa Putri