Joint press release UN Women/IOM

Geneva – Today, on International Women’s Day, we are celebrating the launch of a brand-new online training module, Gender Equality and Migration, developed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UN Women. This module helps learners understand how gender shapes every stage of the migrant journey, and why gender equality matters in migration. 

Gender Equality and Migration becomes the 16th module of the UN Women's landmark I Know Gender e-learning course, which introduces UN staff worldwide to gender equality issues. It is a unique chance to step into the shoes of migrants and see things from their perspective. Through this module, participants will learn about international migration trends from a gender perspective, how to conduct a gender analysis and how to start mainstreaming gender equality into their everyday work at every stage of the migration cycle. 

“This new module, with its unique perspective, reminds all of us of the humanity within migration. Every person on the move has a different story - whether they move because of imminent danger, in search of better opportunities, for love, or to re-join their families. Migrants bring with them hopes as well as capabilities, and we have the duty and the responsibility to listen to and respect them”, said IOM Director General, António Vitorino.

UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, added that this course module, co-developed by IOM and UN Women’s Training Centre, “is an important chance for users to step into the shoes of women migrants and understand how gender shapes every stage of the migrant journey. It also shows the power of partnership, and what we can do when we work together to leverage our unique strengths towards a shared goal."

This interactive and user-friendly course is available in English, and the French and Spanish versions will be accessible later this month. The module can be found on UN Women’s eLearning Campus and IOM E-Campus (using the enrolment key IKGM16-IOM).

For more information on I Know Gender Module 16 Gender Equality and Migration, please contact the IOM Gender Coordination Unit (gcu@iom.int).