18 September is International Equal Pay Day.

International Equal Pay Day represents the longstanding efforts made towards the achievement of equal pay for work of equal value worldwide. It further builds on the United Nations’ commitment to human rights and against all forms of discrimination, including discrimination against women and girls.

Across all regions, women are paid less than men, with the gender pay gap estimated at around 20% globally. Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls continue to be held back owing to the persistence of historical and structural unequal power relations between women and men, poverty and inequalities and disadvantages in access to resources and opportunities that limit women’s and girls’ capabilities. Progress on narrowing that gap has been slow. While equal pay for men and women has been widely endorsed, applying it in practice has been difficult.

On Monday, 18 September from 12 to 1 pm, The Constitutional Court Art Collection in partnership with Bank of America invites you to the official unveiling of restoration work on the large beadwork South African flag that has hung in the main court chamber since 2005.

Venue: Constitutional Court, 1 Hospital Street, Johannesburg, Gauteng

Kindly RSVP to [email protected]

On Monday, 18 September from 3-4 pm the Health Justice Initiative is hosting a webinar: “Pandemics and the Illumination of ‘Hidden Things’ — Lessons from South Africa”.

Speakers include:

• Madhu Pai, Canada Research Chair in Epidemiology & Global Health at McGill University, Montreal;
• Andisiwe Candice, Doctors Without Borders as Access Campaign Advocacy Officer;
• South African human rights lawyer who works in the field of health justice; and
• Laura López Gonzalez, a renowned health and science writer from Mexico.

Click here to view the webinar.

On Tuesday, 19 September at 10 am, the South African National Biodiversity Institute (Sanbi) and WaterCAN will launch water testing week.

On Wednesday, 20 September at 10 am Corruption Watch and procurement expert Prof Geo Quinot will host a webinar to launch the third in our series of Procurement Watch reports.  

The latest report highlights risk trends in public procurement in 2023 with a focus on deviations and expansions, as well as developments in the lists of tender defaulters and restricted suppliers respectively.

Register here.

From Wednesday 20 September until Friday 22 September, the UN General Assembly will convene three high-level meetings on health during its 78th UN General Assembly session (UNGA 78) in New York. These present a historic opportunity for world leaders to place health back on the high-level political agenda as they recommit to ending tuberculosis (TB), delivering universal health coverage (UHC) and strengthening pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. The meetings can be viewed live on UN WebTV. 

• 20 September will cover “Pandemic prevention, preparedness and response”
• 21 September will cover “Universal Health Coverage” and
• 22 September will aim at “the fight against tuberculosis”

Click here for details.

From 20-22 September 2023, the National Policy Dialogue on a Just Transition and Adaptation in the Food System will take place in Boksburg, Gauteng. The aim of the Dialogue is to discuss building a coordinated understanding and policy approach to a just transition in the South African food system across sectors. It will bring together organisations representing the labour movement, smallholder farmers, farm workers, labour tenants, informal traders, waste reclaimers, food and land justice organizations, civil society, and policymakers.

Physical space is unfortunately limited, but members of the media interested in following proceedings may join via Zoom. 

Register here.

On Thursday, 21 September at 5:30 pm, Love Books, Melville will launch a new book called The Revolution Will Not Be Litigated. Mark Gevisser and Katie Redford have gathered together 25 of the world’s most accomplished and celebrated activists and movement lawyers, and worked with them to become storytellers. 

RSVP to [email protected] 

Read more in Daily Maverick: Social justice – ‘It takes a lawyer, an activist and a storyteller to change the world’ 

On Saturday, 23 September from 1-3 pm, Civic Action Teams, Ahmed Kathrada Foundation and Accountability Lab will host a community meeting in the Finetown Multipurpose Hall. The meeting will look at the Inner City Crisis: “How does it affect you and what can you do about it?” 

Contact Nonkosi Maliti for more information on 0720969816

On Sunday, 24 Septmeber from 9 am to 5 pm, Time to Act is staging an exhibition showcasing collaboration between the UDF40 National Committee, the Apartheid Museum and the South African History Archive (Saha).

The Apartheid Museum is open Wednesday to Sunday, and public holidays. For further details visit:  www.apartheidmuseum.org. DM