On March 6-8, 2015, the Center for the Study of Men and Masculinities (CSMM) will host the International Conference on Masculinities: Engaging Men and Boys for Gender Equality, in New York City. Lana Wells has been invited to speak, along with other scholars and experts from around the world who work to engage men and boys on issues of violence, especially men’s violence towards women, girls and other men. The conference will attract more than 500 participants over the three days, including some celebrity-level guests such as Sally Field, Gloria Steinem and Sheryl Sandberg. Lana will also be presenting on her more recent work with Ken Froese and Merrill Cooper on Developing a comprehensive government and community strategy for building and promoting positive fatherhood involvement as a key priority for reducing domestic violence and will also present A Call to Governments to include a comprehensive strategy to engage men and boys in their violence prevention plans.

The timing for the Conference will precede the meeting of the Commission of the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations, marking twenty years after the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. Conference participants will review the success of programs and policies to engage men and boys, share research-in-progress, discuss new and possible policy initiatives, and chart a course to fulfil the Platform for Action adopted by the CSW in Beijing.