Imperial to play host to United Nations gender equality campaign

On Thursday 8 October Imperial will be welcoming the campaign bus for the UN's HeforShe initiative, a global solidarity movement for gender equality.

The movement aims to engage men as advocates for equality, to help support the elimination of discrimination.

Staff and students are invited to visit the bus, meet HeForShe campaigners, and to pledge their support during the visit. Imperial College Union will also be hosting a panel discussion for students, forming part of the Union’s Welcome Week events for new students. Panellists will include Jack Bertram, Partner at McKinsey & Company, and Elizabeth Nyamayaro, Head of the HeForShe Initiative at UN Women.

Imperial’s Provost Professor James Stirling will introduce the panel discussion. Professor Stirling said: “Gender equality is a key priority for me, both personally and in my role as Provost, responsible for Imperial’s core academic mission. We have a number of initiatives in place already to advance gender equality and enhance the working environment, particularly for women in academic and research roles, but we still have much work to do. The HeForShe event offers a valuable chance to engage our students in this important conversation.”

The visit to Imperial is part of the HeForShe GetFree tour, stopping at six universities in the UK and France. Since the launch of HeForShe in September 2014, over 470,000 men have signed up worldwide, with over 36,000 supporters in the UK.

"It's this generation of young people who will be the ones to steer our societies and our economies into the living reality of what it means to be equal. Their energy and dedication to making this change happen are inspiring," said Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, introducing the initiative. "The GetFree tour is a perfect way for us to connect directly with thousands of students. We are grateful to the universities for their warm welcome and hope that this is just the beginning of a journey around the world on the road to gender equality."

HeForShe at Imperial’s South Kensington Campus – Thursday 8 October

Visit the HeForShe bus

From 12-14.00, students and staff are invited to drop by the HeForShe bus outside the Sir Alexander Fleming building. Find out more about HeForShe, speak to the UN team, and sign up to the HeForShe movement.

Panel discussion

All students are invited to a panel discussion at 14.00-15.30, in the Imperial College Union Concert Hall, Beit Quad. There will be an opportunity to ask questions.

The panel:

• Professor James Stirling, Provost, Imperial College London
• Jack Bertram, Partner, McKinsey & Company (HeForShe Corporate IMPACT 10x10x10 Champion)
• Martin Lupton, Head of the Undergraduate School of Medicine, Imperial College London
• Elizabeth Nyamayaro; Senior Advisor to Under-Secretary General, UN Women & Head, HeForShe Initiative
• Lucinda Sandon-Allum; President, Imperial College Union, Imperial College London

Register to attend the panel discussion