Credit : Panzi Foundation.

The Université de Montréal will host the 5th Congress of Mukwege International Chair, taking place for the very first time in North America. The Unité de santé internationale, Observatoire Hygeia, UdeM International and their partners will be organizing the event, themed “Ending Gender-based Violence: Women's Empowerment and Sustainable Development”.

This international chair on violence against women and girls in conflicts is the fruit of an initiative launched by Professor Emeritus Véronique De Keyser of the Université de Liège, who is also an honorary Member of the European Parliament. It came about after Dr. Denis Mukwege met with members of the Belgian institution's Faculty of Psychology, Logopedics and Educational Sciences and doctors from the Centre hospitalier universitaire de Liège, with the aim of setting cooperative programs to support survivors of sexual violence.

The Mukwege International Chair Congress represents an opportunity for the world of research, feminist and community organizations and all players concerned by the key themes of the congress (gender equality, sexual and gender-based violence, health and empowerment of women and adolescent girls, sexual and reproductive health and rights, restorative and transitional justice, etc.) to exchange around these issues, which are inseparable from the mission of Dr. Mukwege, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2018.

The pooling of different areas of expertise will enable us to assess the progress of knowledge, interventions and policies in terms of women's rights, health and empowerment, with a view to achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, to render justice to women and achieve peace.

More information : https://chaire-mukwege.openum.ca/en/