Advancing Gender Equality in International Affairs: Her Turn Expands Its Academic Footprint

Next spring, GWL Voices’ Her Turn initiative will bring its expertise on leadership, representation and multilateral governance into two leading academic institutions in Europe.

What does it take to build a more representative international system? How does women’s leadership shape the legitimacy and effectiveness of multilateral institutions? And how can the next generation contribute to making international decision-making more inclusive and effective?

These are some of the questions that will guide two new courses delivered through Her Turn, GWL Voices’ intergenerational initiative, during the Spring 2027 semester: “Advancing Gender Equality in International Affairs” at Sciences Po’s Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) and “Building a Feminist International System Through Multilateralism” at IBEI.

Together, the courses mark a new step in Her Turn’s academic pillar, creating spaces where students can examine the structures and challenges of international governance while developing the practical skills to engage with and influence them.

From representation to institutional change

At the heart of both courses is a question that has become increasingly central to GWL Voices’ work: who gets to shape international affairs?

At Sciences Po, students will examine how gender equality intersects with leadership, representation and institutional legitimacy at a time when geopolitical fragmentation, climate crises, technological change and declining trust are challenging multilateral institutions.

The course will engage with contemporary policy debates including the UN80 Initiative, Beijing+30, Women, Peace and Security, climate governance, global health, development finance and artificial intelligence. Through case studies, guest lectures and negotiation exercises, students will develop analytical and practical skills to engage with contemporary multilateral challenges.

At IBEI, students will explore the evolution of women's rights, leadership and representation within the international multilateral system, alongside the development of feminist approaches to global governance and foreign policy. The course will examine human rights and international law, peace and security, climate justice, democratic governance and the role of civil society and women-led movements in shaping international institutions.

Both courses share an emphasis on understanding not only where women stand in the international system today, but how institutions can become more representative, legitimate and effective.

Bringing GWL Voices' knowledge into the classroom

A distinctive feature of both courses is their connection to GWL Voices’ research and policy work.

Students will engage with the Women in Multilateralism (WIM) Report, as well as GWL Voices' work on women’s leadership in climate governance and global health. They will also examine contemporary work on Beijing+30, Feminist Foreign Policy, technology diplomacy and the international financial system.

This creates a direct connection between GWL Voices’ knowledge production and the classroom, allowing students to work with current evidence and debates while critically examining the institutional structures behind them.

The courses will also draw on the experience of GWL Voices members and experts. At IBEI, Cristina Gallach will lead the course, bringing extensive experience across the UN, EU, NATO and the Spanish government. However, both courses will have several GWL Voices members invited to teach specific sessions.

This combination of academic inquiry and professional experience is central to Her Turn’s approach: giving students the opportunity to engage not only with theories and frameworks, but also with the experiences of people who have worked within the institutions and political processes they are studying.

Learning by doing

Both courses are designed to move beyond traditional classroom learning. Students will work through case studies, debates, policy exercises and practical simulations. Also both will end with a practical exercise in which students will identify priorities and develop evidence-based recommendations to strengthen women's leadership, representative governance and gender equality across the UN system.

The focus is deliberately practical. Understanding international governance is only one part of the task. Students will also develop the skills to navigate multilateral processes, build coalitions, communicate strategically and design solutions to complex international challenges.

Preparing the next generation of global leaders

Academic partnerships have been a core pillar of Her Turn since its launch. The initiative connects women leaders with a new generation of young changemakers through academic partnerships, learning programmes and intergenerational dialogue.

These two courses extend that model into the university classroom at a moment when the international system is undergoing profound transformation.

As multilateral institutions confront questions of legitimacy, representation, reform and effectiveness, the question of women's leadership is increasingly connected to a broader conversation about the future of international governance.

For GWL Voices, this is the purpose of bringing Her Turn into academic spaces: to connect knowledge, experience and the next generation of leaders, and to create opportunities for students to engage directly with the challenges shaping the international system they will inherit.

This spring, that conversation will take place at Sciences Po and IBEI, bringing Her Turn’s work on leadership, representation and global governance to a new generation of students.