Paradigm Shift: Reflections on Equality
Exploring new pathways toward gender equality through shared understanding and transformative solutions.
The symposium programme will examine the backlash against gender equality that has gained momentum around the world in recent years. Experts will delve into the background and effects of this phenomenon, particularly through the experiences and perspectives of young people. 

PROGRAMME
Opening Words - Tanja Auvinen, Director in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health
Keynote - Delphine O, Ambassador
Keynote - Hawon Jung, Journalist & Author 
Discussion and Q & A 
Panel Discussion - From Progress to Pushback: Navigating the Future of Gender Justice
Moderator: Jani Toivola     
Panelists: UN Youth delegate Adina Nivukoski, PhD Julian Honkasalo, Member of the Youth Advisory Council of Plan International Nepal Smarika Pokharel

The event is open for public, please register here by 23 November. You can also follow the event remotely at Yle Areena (stream link TBA) at 1.30-3.30 pm (UTC+2). The event is held in English.
The Symposium is organised in connection with the International Gender Equality Prize, which will be awarded at a ceremony in Tampere on 8 December. The prize honors significant global contributions to gender equality and is established by the Government of Finland. In 2025, the prize amounts to €300 000 and will be awarded by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. 
The prize ceremony is by invitation only. You can follow the ceremony remotely at Yle Areena (stream link TBA) from 5.30 pm (UTC+2). 

 

THE SPEAKERS

Tanja Auvinen
Director in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health
Tanja Auvinen leads the Gender Equality Unit at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. She also has extensive experience with women's organisations and work to prevent gender-based violence. In her free time, Tanja delves into her doctoral dissertation on gender studies.

 

 

Delphine O
Ambassador
Delphine O is Ambassador and Secretary General of the Generation Equality Forum at the French Ministry of European and Foreign Affairs since 2019. She led the organization of the Generation Equality Forum, the largest and most important international conference on gender equality and women’s rights since 1995, which took place in Paris in June 2021. The Forum raised $40 billion and 3000 commitments from Member States, international organizations, civil society, private sector and philanthropies, to accelerate gender equality in the next 5 years.
She teaches Feminist Foreign Policy and Gender equality in International Relations at the Parisc School of International Affairs (PSIA) of Sciences Po, France’s top public policy graduate school. In 2023, she authored « La diplomatie féministe est un sport de combat » (« Feminist foreign policy is a martial art »), published by Tallandier. 
Previously, Delphine O was a member of the French Parliament for La Republique en Marche. In the National Assembly, she was a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the chairwoman of the France -Iran friendship group and the co-rapporteur of the mission on the
South China Sea.

 

Hawon Jung
Journalist & author
Hawon Jung is a South Korean journalist and author of Flowers of Fire: The Inside Story of South Korea's Feminist Movement and What It Means for Women's Rights Worldwide. A former Seoul correspondent for Agence France-Presse, Jung covered politics and the economy of both South and North Koreas for two decades -- with a particular focus on gender equality and women's rights. Her reporting on South Korea’s #MeToo movement was shortlisted for the Editorial Excellence by the Society of Publishers in Asia. Her writings on gender equality have appeared on the New York Times, Al Jazeera, and Foreign Policy, among others. In 2024, CNN As Equals named Jung one of 30 global defenders of women’s and LGBTQ rights. She also serves on the advisory council on women's rights at Human Rights Watch.

 

 

Smarika Pokharel
Member of the Youth Advisory Council of Plan International Nepal
Smarika, a young social sciences student, believes in using her knowledge to empower marginalised communities and create an equitable world. Her experience as a storyteller at Canopy Nepal enhances her ability to share captivating stories. She has been mentored by the British Council Nepal’s country director and other international leaders, providing her with a valuable network. Smarika has also worked as a podcast narrator for political literacy, an advocate in videos for the Blind Youth Association Nepal, and a freelance writer, translator, interpreter, and voice-over artist. Her project on legal awareness of child sexual abuse among children gives her practical experience in this area. As a person with a disability- blind, she brings a unique perspective and accessibility ideas to the team, strengthening their pursuit of equity. She is Youth Advisory Council Member of Plan International Nepal and Youth Sounding Board member of European Union in Nepal. She has fluent English, critical and analytical skills and has represented Plan International Nepal in Global Youth Meet 2025 organized by Plan International in Germany.

 

Julian Honkasalo
PhD
Julian Honkasalo is an adjunct professor (title of docent) and a Research Council of Finland senior research scholar in gender studies at the University of Helsinki.  Honkasalo holds a PhD in gender studies from the University of Helsinki (2016) and a PhD in political science from The New School for Social Research, USA (2018), where Honkasalo enrolled as a Fulbright stipendiate and a full degree program PhD candidate. In 2018 Honkasalo’s doctoral dissertation Superfluous Lives: An Arendtian Critique of Biopolitics was awarded with the Hannah Arendt Award in Politics, the New School’s award for an outstanding dissertation. Honkasalo’s current research interests include philosophy of democracy, democratic theory, freedom of speech as well as opposition movements against gender equality.  

 

 

 

Adina Nivukoski
UN Youth Delegate
Adina Nivukoski is 25-years old United Nations Youth delegate of Finland, who has during her term focused on girls’ education and preventing violence against women. Besides that, she has been writing columns and articles about equality issues in Finland and abroad.

 

 

 

 

 

Jani Toivola
Jani Toivola is a well-known social influencer, actor, and writer. He is also Finland's first black member of parliament (2011–2019). Jani graduated as an actor from HB Acting Studios in New York.

 

 

 

 

Kelly Keodara
Kelly Keodara is the Founder of Bloom Finland, a platform dedicated to building inclusive communities and empowering diverse voices. With a background in media education and global leadership, Kelly blends strategic communication with deep empathy to create spaces where equity and belonging thrive. Her work challenges norms, uplifts underrepresented perspectives, and sparks meaningful dialogue — making her a bold advocate for gender equality and social transformation.