“Equal opportunities for all: Canada’s contribution”

TAP-EDM Showcase Event

In November 2023, the TAP-EDM team hosted their second showcase event, “Equal Opportunities for All: Canada’s Contribution,” at the Muttart Conservatory in Edmonton, Alberta. The event aimed to reveal the global prospect of gender equality in international aid, bringing together Canadian experts to discuss their experiences in providing short-term technical assistance.

The event featured panel presentations by TAP experts Anju Fujioka in The Gambia, Philip Jakob in Guatemala, and Alondra Majid in Colombia. Gender equality was highlighted as a key element, representing a world where every individual can live to their maximum potential. The Canadian experts showcased how they integrated gender equality through technical assistance partnerships, exploring the meaning of gender equality in diverse countries and contexts, identifying sources of inequalities. Most significantly, these projects are designed and aligned with Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy in mind.

The evening included a panel discussion moderated by Alinea Gender specialist Jennifer Denomy, and a ‘world café’ style question and answer period in pyramids representing different regions: Tropical (Latin American projects), Arid (African projects), and Temperate (Asia-Pacific projects), allowing attendees to interact with panelists and other TAP-EDM experts.

Edmontonian, Bev Esslinger and gender equality advocate, closed the evening with inspiring words on working in the sector and a call to action to invite one and all to continue making the world a better place for women and girls.

Finally, an event like this would not have been possible without the support of many amazing and generous individuals – we would sincerely like to acknowledge the following individuals:

• Minh-Tien Nguyen, Global Affairs Canada representative, Partnerships Program and International Development Operations
• Bev Esslinger, an Edmonton Gender Equality expert, and Keynote Speaker
• Christopher Yeomans, TAP-EDM Project Director
• Tracy Apoll, TAP Expert and Master of Ceremonies
• Muttart Conservatory and Café Bloom Staff
• TAP team and Canadian Technical Assistance Advisors 

Through the Technical Assistance Partnership (TAP) Expert Deployment Mechanism (EDM), leaders from various Canadian sectors, backgrounds, genders, cultural identities and regions share their expertise with partner countries around the world. The TAP-EDM project is a Global Affairs Canada initiative implemented by Alinea International.