ALIGN Platform

💡Heterosexuality isn’t just a personal experience. it’s a norm that dictates how men & women should behave, relate & desire one another. This is why LGBTQI+ people are often pressured to “come out”, a norm that straight people never have to navigate.

👉🏾 More on gender norms here: lnkd.in/eNhsGYVi

A school boy with a mobile phone, and details of an upcoming event from ODI Global and Beyond Equality: How can schools tackle misogyny? Embedding equality in education. 9 September, 17:00-18:30 GMT+1.

This year's Netflix show Adolescence has ignited the global conversation around misogyny in schools.

To build on this, join our event on 9 Sept with Beyond Equality to explore how to tackle the rise of misogyny and harmful gender norms in schools.

Sign up (in person only): odi.org/en/events/ho...

Glimpses from the #XVIConferenciaMujerALC in #MexicoCity, where care & equality took center stage.

We were also very grateful to connect with partners at the Care Pavilion, hosted by the Global Alliance for Care, which is leading an ambitious agenda & providing a space for reflection & exchange.

Here's a glimpse of Day 1 of our workshop with our partners from #dRPC and Data Pop Alliance led by @michalkojanv.bsky.social. Joined by experts to deepen analyses of ongoing research on #onlineviolence against women in politics in #Nigeria and #Brazil.

#gendernorms #genderjustice #TFGBV

Social media, violence and gender norms: the need for a new digital social contract | Align Platform Initially celebrated for their equalising potential, digital technologies have come under increasing scrutiny for undermining women’s rights and social cohesion. This blog focuses on social media and ...

Social media doesn’t just mirror misogyny. It’s designed to reward and reinforce it. That’s why the UK’s new #OnlineSafetyAct, which introduces long overdue protections for children online, marks an important shift.

tinyurl.com/3hmj7d8v

#GenderNorms #DigitalSafety #ChildProtection #TechPolicy

Victims, perpetrators or agents of change? Gender norms and protection This scoping paper encourages the sector to use the ongoing humanitarian reset as an opportunity to foster more nuanced, inclusive and effective humanitarian and protection action. Doing so is essenti...

Victims, perpetrators, or agents of change? Too often in humanitarian work, these are the only lenses used to view people affected in crisis settings, but are you aware of the #gendernorms that underpin these framings?

Read this paper by @hpg-odiglobal.bsky.social to find out: tinyurl.com/ys3jfpzp

How can schools challenge harmful masculinities & promote gender-just learning?

In Chile, years of #feministmobilisation have led to reforms placing gender justice at the heart of teacher training, showing the power of student-led demands for non-sexist education.

✨https://tinyurl.com/47jn32yz

🚨Working with @megandaigle.bsky.social & Leen we combined @aligngender.bsky.social expertise on norms & @odi.global expertise on #humanitarian protection to make a clear case for continued & improved gender analysis at this dangerous political moment of anti-gender mobilizations & aid cuts. More 👇

The 59th UN Human Rights Council wrapped this week bringing tough but vital wins for #GenderEquality.

From women in sport to #FGM to economic rights, resolutions passed reflect progress and deep divides over language on #bodilyautonomy and #intersectionality.

🔗 More via ALIGN: lnkd.in/eEPep5sp

As #FfD4 unfolds in Spain, the #CompromisodeSevilla is a step forward, but real progress needs investment in universal care systems.

Read this @odi.global brief that makes the case for recognising and investing in care as a pillar of national social protection strategies.

odi.org/en/publicati...

At #FFD4, one truth stands out: gender equality can’t be an afterthought in financing. With time running out for the #2030Agenda, donors must back feminist movements now. Just 0.2% of #ODA goes to them.

Read this @odi.global insight to know more: tinyurl.com/mr9d6mp9

Yesterday, at the #HumanRightsCouncil our @odi.global experts @michalkojanv.bsky.social & Ayesha Khan saw firsthand how UN members are working to hold the line on gender equality norms amid growing backlash.

To know more about what's happening at the #UN, read our paper 🖇️ tinyurl.com/vcwyv24f

The US pulling back from global leadership on LGBTQI+ rights is further emboldening autocrats to take "anti-LGBTQI+ measures without diplomatic consequence."

@williamsinstitute.bsky.social's @arimshaw.bsky.social joined us to unpack how threats to LGBTQI rights mean threats to all our rights.

By 11 June, we’ll know if the UK will cut development funding that harms women’s rights and education.

This video explains how these cuts weaken women’s groups and threaten democracy amid a global funding pullback fuelled by rising authoritarianism.

For deeper analysis, read: buff.ly/g9L0ED9

As #Pridemonth kicks off, it’s worth remembering that challenges to LGBTQI+ rights are often an early indicator of broader backlash against democracy, #genderjustice and #socialinclusion.

But these dynamics are not new, nor are they isolated.

👉🏾 www.alignplatform.org/resources/pr...

Reproductive injustice isn’t accidental, it’s institutional.

Today on International Day of Action for Women’s Health, read our insight to know how from the US to the UK, laws and systems embed misogyny by design.

🔗 buff.ly/SMnzYep

About norms

How do #gendernorms fit into the bigger picture of social norms?

Gender norms are social norms—rules shaped by culture, history, and power. They affect our lives, from education to health and political voice reinforcing broader systems of inequality.

👉 www.alignplatform.org/about-norms

Yesterday’s team Away Day at the @odi.global office gave us a valuable chance to reflect & think ahead in amidst rapidly shifting policy & funding landscape. 📊

We explored how we work together, how we build partnerships, and how we stay responsive in uncertain times.

#GenderNorms #GenderEquality

“Much of what we already do can lead to norm change… but often, it’s not enough.” 💭Explore the ALIGN Platform to see all our work on social norms and watch the video to understand why policy reforms alone won’t shift entrenched gender norms.

🌐 www.alignplatform.org

How can education systems help prevent gender-based violence? | Align Platform

With sustained political will & funding, #education can transform gender norms that drive #GBV. Read our blog to learn how 👇🏽

Drawing on 19 Global South initiatives, from life skills classes to teacher training, we can foster critical reflection & behavioral shifts in boys.

👨🏽‍🏫 tinyurl.com/3jtmjwnz

#StayInformed with ALIGN & @odi.global ⭐

Sign up today to get our upcoming April newsletter & stay updated on the latest research, events, funding opportunities & resources from the ALIGN Platform, delivered quarterly to your inbox! ✅

📩 Join our mailing list:
www.alignplatform.org/stay-informed

Have you heard of Life Skills-Based Education? 💡

In #Pakistan, this alternative to comprehensive sexuality education is helping advocates to navigate local gender norms, religion & conservative ideas.

👇🏾 Our explainer breaks down new research on this topic
📘 lnkd.in/e9kJyQdy #CSE #Education

🎨 This World Art Day, we’re showcasing how art can shift #gendernorms. From film to radio to theatre, our work explores how creative initiatives in 55+ countries can tackle #GBV, masculinities & #LGBTQI+ rights.

👉🏾 tinyurl.com/y5zzudeu

#FeministArt #SocialNorms #WorldArtDay

📢 Do you work w/ political parties on gender equality in politics? 🫵 Then we want to speak to you for our @aligngender.bsky.social study on parties' responses to #tech facilitated #GBV. We want to learn from practitioners & academics so DM me for more info
www.alignplatform.org/political-pa...

In #Senegal the solar energy sector is expanding fast. But are women included in this shift to a low-carbon economy?

Our partner report explores the gendered challenges, training limitations and economic constraints in this emerging sector.

👉🏾 tinyurl.com/372fwdmf

#RenewableEnergy #WomenInSTEM

How do US policy changes target transgender rights and undermine democracy? The US Administration has launched a concerted and deliberate attack on transgender rights. Through executive orders, regulatory changes, and inflammatory rhetoric, the Trump Administration has sought...

Since Trump's second term began in January, several key US policy shifts have targeted transgender rights.

These raise vital questions about the future of inclusivity, human rights protection & the integrity of democracy – in the US & globally.

Read more from Evie Browne on #TransDayOfVisibility.

How women's movements lead demands for democracy in the face of backlash and politicised religion This report underscores how women’s movements are leading the push for democratic governance and inclusion, particularly in contexts of eroding civic space or where democracies are increasingly author...

Politicised religion is being weaponised to weaken civic freedoms and undermine secular governance.

Read our report to know how women’s movements are key to resisting democratic decline — countering authoritarianism & shrinking civic space.

👉🏾 odi.org/en/publicati...

#Backlash #Democracy

Women in Zimbabwe are being left out of the jobs shaping our low-carbon future. Despite the country’s push toward #renewableenergy, gender disparities in technical fields—like electrical engineering still persist.⚡

Read our new report with @restlessdevelopment.org to know more: tinyurl.com/3a2ha6zs

Nurturing gender-equitable masculinities: lessons for transforming norms through education systems | Align Platform

The show #Adolescence shows the rise of the #manosphere and boys' vulnerabilities in a world flooded with anti-gender narratives. With calls for it to be screened in Parliament & schools, need for educational action is clearer than ever.

How can education systems respond?
👉🏾 tinyurl.com/mr25fxyn

Feminist responses to ‘norm-spoiling’ at the United Nations This ODI Briefing note explores the what, who and how of 'norm-spoiling', as well as the counter-strategies employed by feminist organisations to resist these efforts at the United Nations.

With #CSW69 and #Beijing30 in focus, spotting ‘norm-spoiling’ is crucial to stopping anti-rights actors from stalling and reversing #genderequality gains.

Read our brief on how feminists respond to norm-spoiling at the multilateral level: buff.ly/9cUeXAW

#womensrights #CSW #UN #gendernorms