Dr. Steele presents on approaches to GBA+ policy-making for Japanese government staff at an International Women’s Day Event hosted by the Embassy of Canada in Tokyo
Japanese follows the English. Please scroll down for links to event resources.
日本語は英語の後に記載しています。イベントに関連する参考資料へのリンクは記事の下に記載されています。
On March 1, 2023, drawing on 25 years of public policy research, enjoi Japan’s CEO Dr. Steele was pleased to provide a presentation on the Canadian federal government’s GBA+ policymaking best practices for Japanese local government civil servants at the Embassy of Canada in Tokyo. enjoi Japan’s team curated a unique presentation combining expertise on public policy, intersectionality, and experiential learning to share about how GBA+ practices from Canada could be applied successfully in Japan to support population growth, equitable city-building (街づくり）and more inclusive policymaking from local to national levels.
We wish to thank the Embassy of Canada for their generosity in hosting this dynamic and fruitful event, deepening Japan-Canada policy exchange, thought partnership, and collaboration. We are grateful for the kind invitation to share our expertise on GBA+ and Canadian/Japanese policymaking on diversity. We wish to acknowledge the generous support of the embassy and of Deputy Head of Mission Deborah Paul, who spoke with great conviction for the ways in which Canada is pursuing key commitments to diversity, growth, and innovation, as well as how Canada is carving out leadership for its feminist foreign policy agenda across the Indo-Pacific.
Seen as a pivotal growth strategy supporting equity in Canada, GBA+ stands for “Gender-Based Analysis Plus”. A best practice that leverages holistic policy design, GBA+ leverages diversity analytics and diversity demographics to foster equitable treatment and efficient policy solutions for all residents. GBA+ ensures not only that diversity and equity are built into the overarching design from the start, but moreover, that the complex internal diversity of all groups is supported with evidence-based programs and policies (e.g., single parents needing different support systems as a subset within all parents / caregivers being supported by a policy). enjoi Japan is the only company providing GBA+ training and consulting services tailored to the Japanese reality and developed in Japanese and English to support local to national civil servants wishing to integrate this Canadian-inspired, professionalised approach to diversity management.
Speaking with local and national civil servants from the Greater Tokyo region, enjoi’s CEO Dr. Jackie F. Speaking with local and national civil servants from the Greater Tokyo region, enjoi’s CEO Dr. Jackie F. Steele gave examples of how her own diverse family dynamics have been affected (and experienced increased risk) over 25 years of residency due to a lack of legal recognition of the full diversity of family formations while raising children in this country she loves. She shared how the application of GBA+ practices in Japan, along with intentional integration of intersectionality as a flagship of DEI, stands to benefit all residents of all diverse nationalities and global backgrounds, many of whom want to make Tokyo their permanent home and place of business.
“While many Japanese people think of themselves as a quite homogenous society,” Dr. Steele said, “once they are encouraged to think about all the complex aspects that intersect to make up their individuality and unique diversities, they very quickly start to appreciate that there is a great deal of diversity even among Japanese people, and they begin to recognize the importance of GBA+ practices for empowering their own families and cities to leverage all that dynamic creativity for growth, happiness and long-term resilience.”
We look forward to future opportunities to collaborate with the embassy and Japanese local to national government professionals on these pressing topics of common interest.
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参考資料 ：イベントでお配りしたGBA＋についてのプリント