Where will the ICPPGGR-2026 conference take place?

The conference will be held in Santa Marta, COL.

What is the format of the ICPPGGR-2026 conference?

The conference is an in-person event, taking place in Santa Marta, COL.

International Conference on Public Policy, Globalization, and Gender Rights (ICPPGGR-2026)

Name: International Conference on Public Policy, Globalization, and Gender Rights (ICPPGGR-2026)
Start: 2026-08-10 00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-08-11 00:00:00+00:00
Location: Santa Marta

Aug 10–11, 2026Santa Marta, ColombiaIn-person

Starts in 2 daysRegistration open

The International Conference on Public Policy, Globalization, and Gender Rights (ICPPGGR-2026) will convene in Santa Marta, COL, offering a platform for in-depth discussions on the intricate interplay between public policy, global trends, and gender rights. This event aims to bring together academics, policymakers, and practitioners to share research, exchange ideas, and foster collaborations that can inform more equitable and inclusive policy-making worldwide. The conference is designed to address contemporary challenges and opportunities in advancing gender equality within a globalized context.

Committees & topics

Topics
The Evolving Role of Public Policy in the 21st Century · Globalization: Trajectories and Backlash · The International Human Rights Regime Under Strain · Gender Rights in a Globalized Society · Public Policy Instruments for Gender Equality · The Impact of Globalization on Women's Rights · Cultural Perspectives on Gender Issues · Gender-Sensitive Public Health Policies

Why it matters

In an increasingly interconnected world, public policies are not formulated in isolation; they are significantly shaped by global forces and, in turn, have far-reaching implications for gender rights. This conference is crucial because it provides a dedicated forum to analyze these complex relationships, moving beyond national perspectives to consider how international agreements, economic globalization, and cultural exchanges impact gender equality. Understanding these dynamics is essential for developing effective strategies that promote women's empowerment and address gender-based disparities across diverse contexts.

The discussions at ICPPGGR-2026 will delve into how different policy frameworks either advance or hinder gender rights, examining case studies and theoretical approaches from various regions. By focusing on both the challenges and successes, the conference aims to identify best practices and innovative solutions that can be adapted and implemented globally. This collaborative approach is vital for building a collective understanding of how to navigate the complexities of globalization while upholding and strengthening gender rights.

How to prepare

Delegates preparing for this conference should focus on developing a robust understanding of how public policy mechanisms interact with global economic and social trends to influence gender outcomes. It is beneficial to research specific policy interventions that have either successfully advanced gender rights or faced significant challenges in different national or regional contexts. Consider how globalization, in its various forms—economic, cultural, and political—has either exacerbated existing gender inequalities or created new opportunities for gender empowerment.

Familiarity with various theoretical frameworks for analyzing gender and public policy will be advantageous. Delegates should also prepare to engage in discussions about the role of international organizations and transnational advocacy networks in shaping gender-related policies. Reviewing the Gender Dynamics Across Cultures lesson can provide a foundational understanding of the diverse ways gender is understood and enacted globally, which is critical for nuanced policy discussions. Additionally, exploring Engagement Strategies can help delegates prepare to contribute effectively to a multi-stakeholder dialogue.

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 4 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Colombia

As the host nation, COL is likely to highlight its national efforts and challenges in integrating gender perspectives into public policy, particularly in areas affected by internal conflicts or peace-building processes.

Role in topic

COL has made strides in gender equality, particularly in political representation and addressing gender-based violence. Its experience offers valuable insights into how public policies can be designed to promote gender rights in post-conflict or transitional societies, while also facing ongoing challenges related to economic disparities and social norms.

United States

The USA often emphasizes the role of democratic institutions and legal frameworks in protecting gender rights, while also acknowledging domestic debates on reproductive rights and workplace equality.

Role in topic

The USA's approach to public policy and gender rights is characterized by a strong legal framework, including anti-discrimination laws. However, ongoing debates around issues such as pay equity, parental leave, and reproductive rights demonstrate the dynamic nature of gender policy even in established democracies. Its global influence means its domestic policies often have international implications.

United Kingdom

The GBR typically showcases its commitment to international gender equality initiatives and domestic policies aimed at closing the gender pay gap and combating violence against women.

Role in topic

The GBR has a history of legislative action to promote gender equality, including significant efforts to address the gender pay gap and violence against women. Its foreign policy often includes support for gender equality programs in developing countries, reflecting a dual focus on domestic and international gender rights.

India

IND's perspective often centers on the complexities of gender rights within a diverse society, balancing traditional values with modern legal protections and economic development goals.

Role in topic

IND presents a complex case for public policy and gender rights, with constitutional provisions for equality alongside persistent social challenges. Policies often aim to empower women through education, economic opportunities, and protection against violence, but implementation faces hurdles due to vast regional, cultural, and socio-economic disparities. Discussions from an IND perspective would highlight the interaction of national policies with local customs and global development trends.

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.

The Evolving Role of Public Policy in the 21st Century

Modern public policy emerged from the post-war expansion of the administrative state, when governments in both industrialized and decolonizing nations took on broader responsibilities for welfare, regulation, and economic management. The Bretton Woods institutions, the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the gradual buildout of national statistical and planning agencies created a shared toolkit — cost-benefit analysis, regulatory impact assessments, and evidence-based program evaluation — that diffused across borders through the OECD, World Bank, and UN system. By the 1990s, New Public Management reforms in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and the United States reframed citizens as service users and pushed privatization and performance metrics into the mainstream. The 2008 financial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the accelerating climate transition have since exposed the limits of that paradigm. Governments now face simultaneous demands to deliver industrial policy, digital governance, demographic adjustment, and crisis response, often with eroding fiscal space and declining public trust. Debates today center on how to reconcile state capacity with democratic accountability, how to regulate platforms and AI, and how to design policy instruments that work across jurisdictions in an interdependent economy. The contemporary dispute is less ideological than institutional: which level of government — local, national, or supranational — should hold which competence, and how to embed equity and long-term thinking into policy cycles dominated by short electoral horizons.

Key players

Globalization: Trajectories and Backlash

The current wave of globalization began in earnest after the 1980s, propelled by trade liberalization under the GATT/WTO, the collapse of the Soviet bloc, China's 2001 WTO accession, and the digital revolution. Global trade grew from roughly 39 percent of world GDP in 1990 to over 60 percent by the late 2010s, while cross-border capital flows, supply chain fragmentation, and labor migration reshaped industrial geography. The model delivered historic gains in poverty reduction — most dramatically in East and South Asia — while concentrating manufacturing job losses in parts of the industrialized world. The 2008 crisis marked an inflection point. Trade-to-GDP ratios plateaued, populist movements in advanced democracies challenged the trade consensus, and the 2018 U.S.–China tariff escalation, the COVID-19 pandemic, and Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine pushed governments toward 'friend-shoring,' export controls on semiconductors and critical minerals, and industrial subsidies such as the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act and the EU Chips Act. The WTO Appellate Body has been effectively paralyzed since 2019. The core debate now is whether the world is deglobalizing, re-globalizing along geopolitical blocs, or merely rebalancing toward services and digital flows. Developing economies caught between blocs are pressing for reform of trade dispute settlement and for a development-friendly approach to subsidies and technology transfer.

Key players

The International Human Rights Regime Under Strain

The modern human rights system was built around the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the twin 1966 Covenants on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), supplemented by treaties on racial discrimination, women, children, torture, and persons with disabilities. The 1993 Vienna Declaration reaffirmed the universality and indivisibility of rights, and the 2006 creation of the Human Rights Council and the Universal Periodic Review mechanism gave the system its current institutional shape, anchored by the OHCHR in Geneva. Three pressures now dominate the agenda. First, large-scale conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and the Sahel have generated documented violations on a scale that strains international monitoring and accountability bodies, including the ICC. Second, authoritarian consolidation and democratic backsliding — measured by V-Dem and Freedom House — have narrowed civic space in dozens of countries. Third, emerging issues including generative AI, climate displacement, and platform governance, addressed in the 2024 OHCHR work on AI and the recognition of the right to a healthy environment in GA Resolution 76/300, are stretching the existing treaty architecture. The central dispute is between states that insist on a universalist, individual-rights framing and those who emphasize sovereignty, development, and cultural specificity. Reform of the treaty body system, financing for OHCHR, and the politicization of country-specific mandates remain perennial flashpoints.

Key players

Gender Rights in a Globalized Society

The international gender equality agenda has been anchored by the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action, UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security, and Sustainable Development Goal 5. Globalization has accelerated some gains: women's labor force participation has risen in many emerging economies, transnational advocacy networks have driven domestic legal reform on violence and family law, and digital platforms have expanded access to information and economic opportunity. At the same time, global integration has produced new vulnerabilities. Cross-border labor migration — particularly in domestic and care work — has exposed women to trafficking and exploitative recruitment chains, while global supply chains concentrate female labor in low-wage manufacturing segments. The 2020 Beijing+25 review and successive UN Women reports concluded that no country is on track to achieve full gender equality by 2030, with progress reversing in areas including reproductive rights, political representation in some regions, and online safety. The central tension is between universal norms codified in CEDAW and national reservations grounded in religious or cultural law, alongside a growing debate over how digital globalization — from gig platforms to algorithmic discrimination — is reshaping the gendered economy faster than regulators can respond.

Key players

Public Policy Instruments for Gender Equality

Public policy has been the primary vehicle for translating gender equality commitments into practice. Since the 1995 Beijing Platform, governments have adopted gender mainstreaming requirements, gender-responsive budgeting (pioneered in Australia and now used in over 80 countries per OECD data), parental leave reforms, electoral quotas, and laws targeting gender-based violence. The OECD's gender recommendations and the EU's 2023 Pay Transparency Directive represent the leading edge of binding instruments in advanced economies. Evidence on what works has matured. Quotas have demonstrably increased women's political representation — most dramatically in Rwanda, Mexico, and the Nordic countries — while paid parental leave and subsidized childcare are associated with higher female labor force participation. Conditional cash transfers in Latin America and self-help group programs in South Asia have shifted intra-household bargaining. Yet implementation gaps remain large: ILO data show the global gender pay gap persists around 20 percent, and care work remains overwhelmingly unpaid and female. Current debates focus on the design of care economies, the regulation of algorithmic hiring and pay systems, the treatment of trans and non-binary persons under equality law, and how to extend gender-responsive policymaking to climate adaptation, tax policy, and digital infrastructure.

Key players

The Impact of Globalization on Women's Rights

Globalization has reshaped women's economic and legal status in deeply uneven ways. Export-oriented industrialization, beginning with East Asian textiles and electronics in the 1970s and extending to Bangladesh's ready-made garment sector and Central American maquiladoras, drew tens of millions of women into formal wage employment for the first time. World Bank data document significant gains in female labor force participation and educational attainment in fast-globalizing economies. Transnational advocacy — from CEDAW shadow reporting to the #MeToo movement — has accelerated legal reform across borders. The costs have also been gendered. Female workers are concentrated in the lowest-paid tiers of global value chains and have borne the brunt of supply-chain shocks, as documented after the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse and during COVID-19, when ILO data showed women's employment losses outpaced men's globally. Cross-border care chains — Filipina and Sri Lankan domestic workers in the Gulf, Eastern European care workers in Western Europe — have raised persistent concerns about trafficking, wage theft, and the kafala system. Climate-driven displacement disproportionately affects women, and online platforms have introduced new vectors of gendered harassment and disinformation. The contested question is whether further integration, with stronger labor and human rights conditionalities, advances women's rights, or whether deglobalization and localized production would better protect them.

Key players

Cultural Perspectives on Gender Issues

Debates over gender norms sit at the intersection of universal human rights instruments and the cultural, religious, and legal traditions of states. CEDAW has the highest number of substantive reservations of any UN human rights treaty, many citing personal status laws derived from religious sources. The Cairo Programme of Action (1994) and the Beijing Platform (1995) acknowledged cultural diversity while insisting on non-derogable rights, a balance that remains contested at every Commission on the Status of Women session. Distinct regional frameworks have emerged. The 2003 Maputo Protocol set an African continental standard on women's rights, including on FGM and reproductive health. The Inter-American Convention of Belém do Pará addresses violence against women. The 2008 Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam and OIC positions assert an Islamic framing of family and gender. In parts of Europe and the Americas, debates over gender identity, abortion access, and education curricula have become major political cleavages, while several states have moved to restrict 'LGBT propaganda' or roll back reproductive rights. The core dispute is how to reconcile the universality affirmed at Vienna (1993) with genuine cultural and religious pluralism, without allowing 'culture' to be used as a shield against accountability for discrimination and violence.

Key players

Gender-Sensitive Public Health Policies

The case for gender-sensitive health policy was crystallized at the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development, which placed sexual and reproductive health and rights at the center of development. Subsequent WHO strategies on maternal health, gender-based violence, and cervical cancer, alongside SDG 3 and SDG 5 targets, have pushed governments to disaggregate health data by sex and gender and to address conditions that affect women and men differently. The 2018 WHO global action plan on violence and the 2020 Global Strategy to Accelerate the Elimination of Cervical Cancer are leading examples. COVID-19 exposed systemic gaps. Frontline health and care workforces, roughly 70 percent female globally per WHO/ILO estimates, faced disproportionate exposure with unequal pay and protection. Service disruptions sharply reduced access to contraception, antenatal care, and HIV services, and lockdowns coincided with documented surges in intimate partner violence. At the same time, clinical research continues to underrepresent women, leading to documented gaps in cardiovascular, pharmacological, and pain treatment outcomes. Current policy debates concern integrating sexual and reproductive health into universal health coverage packages, financing the care economy, addressing the health needs of LGBTQ+ populations, designing pandemic preparedness with a gender lens consistent with the 2025 WHO Pandemic Agreement, and closing the gender data gap in clinical trials and health information systems.

Key players

Resources

News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for International Conference on Public Policy, Globalization, and Gender Rights (ICPPGGR-2026).

Recent reporting to ground your prep

India's 131st Amendment Bill

Trump's Legal Battles Impact 2026 Elections

Trump's Economic Reset

Supreme Court's Voting Rights Impact on 2026

Lessons

Bite-sized lessons to build the basics

Gender Dynamics Across Cultures

Hidden Stakeholders

Engagement Strategies

Dynamic Analysis

Courses

Guided courses that go deeper on the topic

Policy Brief Writing

Cross-Cultural Communication

Advanced Negotiation

Multilateral Negotiation

Colombia August 2026

By committee

Frequently asked questions

International Conference on Public Policy, Globalization, and Gender Rights (ICPPGGR-2026)

Aug 10–11, 2026Santa Marta, ColombiaIn-person

Starts in 2 daysRegistration open

Committees & topics

Topics
The Evolving Role of Public Policy in the 21st Century · Globalization: Trajectories and Backlash · The International Human Rights Regime Under Strain · Gender Rights in a Globalized Society · Public Policy Instruments for Gender Equality · The Impact of Globalization on Women's Rights · Cultural Perspectives on Gender Issues · Gender-Sensitive Public Health Policies

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 4 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Colombia

Role in topic

United States

The USA often emphasizes the role of democratic institutions and legal frameworks in protecting gender rights, while also acknowledging domestic debates on reproductive rights and workplace equality.

Role in topic

United Kingdom

The GBR typically showcases its commitment to international gender equality initiatives and domestic policies aimed at closing the gender pay gap and combating violence against women.

Role in topic

India

IND's perspective often centers on the complexities of gender rights within a diverse society, balancing traditional values with modern legal protections and economic development goals.

Role in topic

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.

The Evolving Role of Public Policy in the 21st Century

Key players

Globalization: Trajectories and Backlash

Key players

The International Human Rights Regime Under Strain

Key players

Gender Rights in a Globalized Society

Key players

Public Policy Instruments for Gender Equality

Key players

The Impact of Globalization on Women's Rights

Key players

Cultural Perspectives on Gender Issues

Key players

Gender-Sensitive Public Health Policies

Key players

Resources

News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for International Conference on Public Policy, Globalization, and Gender Rights (ICPPGGR-2026).

Recent reporting to ground your prep

India's 131st Amendment Bill

Trump's Legal Battles Impact 2026 Elections

Trump's Economic Reset

Supreme Court's Voting Rights Impact on 2026

Lessons

Bite-sized lessons to build the basics

Gender Dynamics Across Cultures

Hidden Stakeholders

Engagement Strategies

Dynamic Analysis

Courses

Guided courses that go deeper on the topic

Policy Brief Writing

Cross-Cultural Communication

Advanced Negotiation

Multilateral Negotiation

Colombia August 2026

By committee

Committees & topics

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Topics & background

Resources

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Frequently asked questions

Committees & topics

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Topics & background

Resources

Related conferences

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VIII Congreso Nacional e Internacional de Mecanismos de Resolución de Conflictos: Un Centro para las Américas

International Conference on Caribbean Politics, Governance, and Democratic Movements (ICCPGDM) 2026

VI Congreso Internacional de Administración de Negocios Internacionales (CIANI 2026)

XXI Seminario Anual Internacional de la Cátedra Jean Monnet

Horasis Global Summit 2026

Frequently asked questions