Ms. Xingwana, a former chair of South Africa’s joint monitoring committee for the Status of Women, will join more than 300 teachers and education trade union leaders from forty countries to discuss the most effective methods for empowering women and promoting gender equality.

EI President, Susan Hopgood, said: “We are honoured to have Minister Xingwana address the Women’s Caucus. Both as a minister and life-long advocate for equality, she is sure to provide valuable insight into the daily and political challenges facing women in South Africa. The issues will certainly have resonance with the lives and experiences of women from around the world.”

In addition to hearing from the Minister, the EI Women’s Caucus will debate issues of gender equality in unions, gender-sensitive education, and government commitments to women’s rights. Participants will also develop a four-year action plan for EI and its member organisations to advance gender equality.

The Caucus will take place on 21 July and is one of several events leading up to EI’s Sixth World Congress in Cape Town, South Africa.

Other pre-Congress events include sessions on the rights of LGBT people, the rights of Indigenous Peoples, and higher education.