Australia Awards South and West Asia

In the lead-up to International Women’s Day, Australia Awards – South Asia & Mongolia has launched a podcast series called ‘Spotlight on Gender Equality and Social Inclusion’. The series aims to inspire ideas about how every individual can apply a gender equality and social inclusion lens to their work. In each episode, Australia Awards alumni will be sharing the innovative ways they are building gender equality and social inclusion into their projects. The entire series will be available to listen to for free on the Australia Awards – South Asia & Mongolia website and Spotify.

You can listen to the episode here:

Alternatively, you may be able to access it on Spotify:

Jhuma completed a Bachelor of Environmental Science at Charles Sturt University, and a Master of Environmental Science at Australian National University in 2006 with the support of an Australia Awards Scholarship. She is now the Chief of Gender and Community Cohesion at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Bangladesh.

In her work at UNDP, Jhuma oversees project activities related to gender gap analysis, gender-based violence prevention and capacity building on gender sensitisation. She emphasises the importance of integrating a gender equality and social inclusion lens into all aspects of development work to address disparities and achieve sustainable development goals.

Jhuma pictured at the UNDP office in Bangladesh.

In the podcast, Jhuma explains that using a gender equality and social inclusion lens helps to understand the specific needs and issues of different groups, including marginalised communities. She shares her experience in preparing project proposals and ensuring that they include contributions to gender equality and women’s empowerment. Jhuma also highlights the importance of including hard-to-reach and marginalised sections of society when considering project beneficiaries, to ensure no one is left behind.

Listen to the episode in full to hear Jhuma share other key lessons she has learnt from her work, such as the importance of thinking outside the box and understanding the specific needs of disadvantaged groups. She also provides practical tips for considering gender equality and social inclusion in projects, including seeking guidance from gender specialists, collecting evidence-based information, and ensuring these principles are part of project monitoring and evaluation frameworks.

Listen to the series in full via–