VIII Forum on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

At the end of March, 2nd-year student of the Master's program “Population and Development” Adeola Oluwatobi Oyewole took part in the VIII Forum dedicated to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The event was held from March 27 to March 29 at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO).

The Forum was held in the format of case studies aimed at achieving sustainable development goals and finding solutions to related problems in particular spheres of human life. The forum participants were undergraduate and graduate students, high school students, young scientists, experts, and representatives of the business and academic community.

Within the framework of the forum, Adeola acted as a delegate of the Gender Equality Committee. In total, 10 improvisational committees were organized for the event, the participants of each of which had to deal with a specific problem to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. When analyzing the case according to the profile of the committee, the issue of gender imbalance in the system of public administration in the Russian Federation was studied. According to preliminary estimates of the group, it turned out that among all ministers and their deputies, the representation of women is less than 20%, while among graduates of educational programs in the specialties of public and municipal administration, political science, international relations, the majority is formed by young women.

To solve this case, the participants of the Gender Equality Committee studied the social, cultural, historical, and other factors that influenced the distribution of government representatives by gender and the attitude of society to this phenomenon. Regarding practical methods, first of all, the practices used in the field of public administration in different countries of the world, including several post-Soviet states, were considered. After a team discussion, Adeola, as the speaker of the working group, presented possible solutions to this problem to the forum participants and experts.

After the event, Adeola gave the following comment: “The Forum was very useful for me, as it expanded my knowledge and views on Russian society. I also gained a broader understanding of gender equality and equity issues, which is also important for my master's thesis. I was able to develop my teamwork skills and communicate with other supporters of gender equality.”