About MenEngage Alliance South Asia

Who we are

Formed in 2007, The MenEngage Alliance South Asia (MEASA) is a regional network, part of the global MenEngage Alliance consisting of dozens of country networks spread across many regions of the world, hundreds of non-governmental organizations, as well as UN partners.

Its members work collectively and individually toward advancing gender justice, human rights and social justice to achieve a world in which all can enjoy healthy, fulfilling and equitable relationships and their full potential. Through its country-level and regional network, MenEngage seeks to provide and create space for a collective voice on the need to engage men and boys in gender equality, to build and improve the field of practice around engaging men in achieving gender justice, and advocating before policymakers at the local, national and regional levels.

The primary focus of the MenEngage Alliance South Asia (MEASA) is strengthening the Alliance and promoting knowledge sharing, capacity development, and collaboration among the organisations both at the regional and national levels. There have been stronger collaborations between national and regional organisations and agencies, such as IPPF-South Asia Regional office and its associates at the country-level, Partners for Prevention, Care International in Sri Lanka and Nepal, and USAID & GTZ in Nepal. MenEngage Alliance South Asia has a strong partnership with various women’s rights organizations, both as members and partners, at both national and regional levels.

The MEASA governance framework comprises of a two-tiered regional governance structure with a Steering Committee and a smaller Executive Working group. The Steering Committee comprises of three representatives from each country network (four at present) as decided by the country alliance in respective countries, a representative from the global steering committee and a representative from the regional secretariat.

With the view to have collective efforts to address the structural barriers of gender equality, MenEngage Alliance South Asia and its members have been, since its inception in 2007, continuously working collectively and individually towards addressing these concerns primarily with its value addition to “transforming masculinities and engaging boys and men in gender equality and women’s rights”.

Who we are

About MenEngage Alliance South Asia

Formed in 2007, The MenEngage Alliance South Asia (MEASA) is a regional network, part of the global MenEngage Alliance consisting of dozens of country networks spread across many regions of the world, hundreds of non-governmental organizations, as well as UN partners.

Its members work collectively and individually toward advancing gender justice, human rights and social justice to achieve a world in which all can enjoy healthy, fulfilling and equitable relationships and their full potential. Through its country-level and regional network, MenEngage seeks to provide and create space for a collective voice on the need to engage men and boys in gender equality, to build and improve the field of practice around engaging men in achieving gender justice, and advocating before policymakers at the local, national and regional levels.

The primary focus of the MenEngage Alliance South Asia (MEASA) is strengthening the Alliance and promoting knowledge sharing, capacity development, and collaboration among the organisations both at the regional and national levels. There have been stronger collaborations between national and regional organisations and agencies, such as IPPF-South Asia Regional office and its associates at the country-level, Partners for Prevention, Care International in Sri Lanka and Nepal, and USAID & GTZ in Nepal. MenEngage Alliance South Asia has a strong partnership with various women’s rights organizations, both as members and partners, at both national and regional levels.

The MEASA governance framework comprises of a two-tiered regional governance structure with a Steering Committee and a smaller Executive Working group. The Steering Committee comprises of three representatives from each country network (four at present) as decided by the country alliance in respective countries, a representative from the global steering committee and a representative from the regional secretariat.

With the view to have collective efforts to address the structural barriers of gender equality, MenEngage Alliance South Asia and its members have been, since its inception in 2007, continuously working collectively and individually towards addressing these concerns primarily with its value addition to “transforming masculinities and engaging boys and men in gender equality and women’s rights”.

MenEngage Alliance South Asia has more than 250 CSOs and individuals as members, hence has the potential to bring about the social change. Since 2011, MenEngage Alliance South Asia has been organizing regular steering committee meetings, as a result of which the regional network has set up democratic processes and structures to organize the regional network.

In 2014, the region hosted 2nd Global Symposium in Delhi, India. Among other advocacy milestones achieved, a book titled Global Masculinities (Routledge 2019) was an output of the Symposium.

Moreover, the regional Steering Committee met in 2015 in Colombo, Sri Lanka and recently in May 2017, MenEngage Alliance South Asia organized a smaller group face-to-face meeting where the group came together to identify strategic ways forward for the regional network. The deliberations have been finalized in Dhulikhel Nepal in December 2018.

MEASA’s work remains responsive to regional and national realities, rooted in local wisdom, receptive to global best practices and in harmony with MenEngage Alliance’s Global Symposia Calls for Action, consensus built for action in previous MEASA meetings, treaty body recommendations, UN initiatives including UN OHCHR’s recommendations on engaging men and boys for ending gender inequality and gender-based violence.