#RoadToBogota2025
WEBINARThe Role of Women in Science and Development
Preparatory event for the Third Interregional Dialogue on Education and Development between Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and Europe.
Women make up only 33% of the global research workforce—a figure that hides deeper, systemic inequalities. Beyond numbers, critical questions remain: What roles do women occupy in science? Under what conditions? And how do institutional structures enable or restrict their impact on scientific and development agendas?
This online webinar provides a dynamic platform for interregional dialogue, uniting voices from Africa, Latin America, and Europe. Together, we will explore the institutional, economic, and cultural factors that shape women’s engagement in science and innovation. We will also highlight promising policy practices and strategies that promote inclusion, leadership, and lasting transformation.
In a time of increasing global fragmentation, this dialogue serves as a call to action: to build coordinated responses across regions, to bridge persistent divides, and to foster equitable, development-oriented scientific systems.
What to Expect: Key Themes and Questions
This webinar is designed to spark meaningful interregional dialogue through presentations, case studies, and an interactive panel. Together, we will explore both persistent challenges and opportunities for joint action between Africa and Latin America.
Key themes and questions include:
Institutional and cultural barriers: What are the shared obstacles limiting women’s full participation in science across Latin America and Africa? How can interregional collaboration help dismantle them?
Unpaid care work and invisible burdens: How can regional policies or initiatives be adapted or scaled through LAC–Africa cooperation to address the disproportionate impact of care responsibilities on women scientists?
Models of leadership and reform: What successful examples of leadership, mentorship, or institutional transformation have emerged that could inspire joint strategies?
Towards a shared agenda: What concrete recommendations should emerge from this webinar to inform the Africa–LAC agenda on gender equity in science and innovation systems?
This exchange of ideas will also help lay the groundwork for the interregional dialogue between Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean, to be held in November 2025.
Speakers
Yesenia Olaya
Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation,
Colombia
Jackie Kado
Executive Director, Network of African Science Academies (NASAC),
Kenya
Carolina Santacruz-Pérez
Science Officer, Latin American and Caribbean Region International Science Council (ISC), Colombia
Fernando Perini
Team Leader for Education and Science , International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada
Marcia Cristina Bernardes Barbosa
UFRGS/ Brazilian Academy of Science. Expert panel at the ISC, Brazil
Magdalena Sajdak
UN GCNP Climate Council Member, Polish Academy of Science
Poland
Juan Guillermo Hoyos
Higher Education policy expert (Latin America and the Caribbean), Obreal
Colombia
Participation & Practical Information
This webinar is open to researchers, policy-makers, academic leaders, gender equity advocates, international development professionals, and all stakeholders committed to advancing inclusive science systems.
Date: 29 May 2025
Time: 08:00 (Bogotá) | 10:00 (Buenos Aires) | 15:00 (Barcelona) | 16:00 (Nairobi)
Format: Online (link will be shared upon registration)
Languages: English and Spanish (simultaneous interpretation provided)
Participation is free of charge, but registration is required.
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