Insights from the First Peer-to-Peer Meeting

Women in Global Health (WGH) Norway joined the first gathering of WGH country chapters to discuss the global movement. We are pleased to share news and insights from that meeting in Nairobi, Kenya. 

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Photo: Marit Viktoria Pettersen

WGH hosted its first peer-to-peer meeting in Nairobi September 23-28, 2022, where chapter leaders from around the world joined in to discuss the steps forward to achieve better gender-equality in global health. WGH Norway was represented by one of its members, Marit Viktoria Pettersen. We at the Secretariat are so grateful for having had such a good representative from our national chapter. Here, Marit has shared some reflections from the meeting and her time in Nairobi.

I attended WGH's first Peer-to- Peer meeting, together with about 60 women from other country chapters and from the global team. Many chapters from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) were represented, and several of these chapters had been established quite recently. The main focus of the meeting was to exchange information on governance, strategies, activities, challenges and achievements of the different chapters. This was very useful, and the LMICs chapter representatives especially appreciated this part of the program. Another key meeting objective was to discuss the WGH strategy and identify priority areas. This was also very interesting, and after a voting process, 3-4 areas stood out, for global action and local action respectively. All the participants seemed satisfied with the areas chosen.  

There were also regional meetings with an exchange of information on chapter activities etc. Discussions included how chapters could strengthen collaboration across the region and identify specific areas for cooperation. We had very constructive discussions in the Europe-group and came up with several joint activities as well as some possible areas for cooperation that need to be discussed further.  

All in all, this was a very constructive and positive meeting, with good and interesting presentations and discussions as well as exchange of experiences. The meeting was mainly organized with plenary presentations for the different themes followed by discussions in smaller groups. This meant that the participants interacted with almost all the other participants during the meeting, which I believe contributed to creating a good atmosphere. The joint meals also contributed to this. Friendships were made between women across continents!

Report from WGH

Day 1 – Chapter Development

The Chapter development Day started with inspiring speeches from Executive Director, Dr. Roopa Dhatt and Global Managing Director, Dr. Magda Robalo. The day created a space for reflection, learning and co-creation amongst leaders of the global movement and provided chapter members an opportunity to reflect on progress and opportunities of becoming a successful country chapter. Participants had many opportunities to share experiences, challenges and build bridges outside and within the countries and chapters.

Photos: Day 1 in Nairobi, Women in Global Health

Day 2 – Gender Transformative Leadership 

On Day 2, the discussions on the Gender Transformative Leadership (GTL) workshop delved into different facets of GTL. The key takeaways from the session: 

  • To use the word 'Gender' in ways that open and do not close doors;
  • To make visible the political, economic, cultural, and religious barriers to gender equity, utilizing lived experiences to result in transformational and sustained change;
  • To use collective action with a feminist approach, that allows women working in health, globally, to be gender transformative leaders at all levels.  

After a day full of engaging activities, the participants dressed up for the "Around the World" partner dinner. Participants were encouraged to wear or bring something that represented their countries.

Photos: Day 2 in Nairobi, Women in Global Health

Day 3 – Advocacy and Research 

Day 3 was focused on Advocacy and Leadership on Research. Collectively, 

  • the group built their understanding of the current (chapter and global) advocacy contexts 
  • agreed on common advocacy priorities, and 
  • outlined the available tools to support advocacy goals. 

The ongoing WGH research on leadership was shared with participants with examples from Kenya, Pakistan and Nigeria.

Photos: Day 3 in Nairobi, Women in Global Health

Meeting agenda

Published Oct. 7, 2022 1:07 PM - Last modified Oct. 7, 2022 3:51 PM