At the 12^th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development in Bangkok, governments, international organizations, civil society, and youth came together to assess progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a special focus on SDG 5 on gender equality.

While the region has made progress in some areas, harmful gender norms, discrimination, and gender-based violence continue to deny girls their right to education, skills, and equal participation in society.

The power of gender-transformative education was highlighted at the special event “Rise and Thrive: Empowering the Women and Girls of Tomorrow”, where five young female activists shared how pivotal education was in their pathways to empowerment, with education shaping many of their journeys and work they lead today.

Gender-transformative education supports children and young people to have equal access to education, leading to equal choices for their futures, alongside a systems approach tackling gender disparities across levels to dismantle harmful gender norms and promote safe and inclusive learning.

This includes addressing the root causes of school-related gender-based violence by engaging students, teachers, parents, communities, leaders and policy makers in a whole-school approach to eradicate harmful norms and improve access and learning outcomes.

Five key takeaways from the event:

1. Education unlocks opportunity: Ain Husniza, a Malaysian activist and founder of Pocket of Pink, a feminist initiative combining art, advocacy, and education to empower youth, reflected on growing up as a girl in a low-income family.
   “Education was my way out. It's the reason I can speak to you here eloquently in English. It’s why I am standing with you here today. When I had an education, it didn't matter if my shoes were fancy. I was truly reviewed through my merits, not what I was wearing or my socioeconomic status”.
2. Mentorship builds confidence and leadership: Dina Chaerani, an advocate for sexual and reproductive health and rights with marginalized communities in Indonesia, shared the impact of a mentorship program on preventing sexual violence in schools, created by Plan International.
   “I grew because of their mentorship.” Inspired, she co-created a youth advisory panel with Plan and launched Lapor Yuk!, an online platform to report sexual violence against children that has so far reached 10,000 youth in Indonesia.
3. Community-based solutions are key: Aneeshaa Kaviarasan, Secretary General of the national governing body of the Bahá’ís of Malaysia, highlighted “Women's empowerment is not just about equality. How can we build a flourishing society if half of its members are not given the opportunity to contribute to the betterment of the world?” She stressed that empowering women strengthens social solidarity and prosperity.
   “If the process of women’s empowerment does not include men, then it will constantly be a power struggle. When we talk about education or empowerment, we have to do it with entire communities. Then, everybody becomes protagonists of social transformation.” Ultimately, gender-transformative education recognizes this by working with stakeholders at school and community levels to ensure needs are addressed and all voices are heard.
4. Knowledge is power and a key driver of gender equality: Nidhi Tewari, a young leader working on research and advocacy for rural women in India impacted by climate change was the first daughter in a family in rural India where people prefer to have sons and women’s autonomy is curtailed.
   “I found a lot of solace in books, even though reading materials outside of schools was not allowed. I would hide novels behind my physics book and find solace in literature.”
   She was inspired by women she met in the field who sought to do more with limited resources. “Everyone has a right to their voice and agency”.
   Restrictive norms limit girls’ access to knowledge. Gender-transformative education works to break these barriers, ensuring girls develop the skills and confidence to shape their futures.
5. Being part of a movement strengthens girls' voices: Shayal Nand, a young feminist leader whose work spans women's health, leadership, and gender-responsive planning and budgeting in the Pacific, shared how she learned to speak up.
   “For someone always told what to wear, how to act and who has been bullied for my skin tone, I've always tried to keep things to myself.”
   Shayal found her niche in gender equality and justice - the space she’d been looking for to make a change and feel included. Shayal now works in policy advocacy, addressing systemic barriers to women’s engagement in decision-making and leadership.

Dialogue and solidarity to bring about change

These inspiring activists demonstrated the deep connection between education and gender equality, and the need to work together to create safe, inclusive learning environments.

Their stories highlight that intergenerational dialogue and solidarity empower young people to drive change — and that investing in education is essential to achieving SDG 5 and a more just, equitable future for all.

It moves beyond improving access to education but towards equipping and empowering all stakeholders, students, teachers, communities and policy makers, to challenge and redress harmful gender norms and power imbalances.

Gender transformative education levels the playing field. It opens up life choices and opportunities for all children and young people, leading to health, social and political participation, and job opportunities and employment.

Additional authors:

• Susmita Choudhury, Senior Adviser Advocacy and Campaigns Asia region, (ChildFund)
• Florence May Cortina, Regional Education Out Loud (EOL) Coordinator, Asia South Pacific Association For Adult and Basic And Education (ASPBAE)
• Sai Jyothirmai Racherla, Deputy Executive Director, Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW)
• Desytia Nawris, Representative, Bahá'í International Community (BIC), Jakarta.