Women's and gender equality representatives meet for the annual bukof conference at Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences

What are the links between care work, economy and sustainability? How can gender equality actors and sustainability actors at universities work together? And what is the significance of gender competence in education for sustainable development? At this year's annual conference of the Federal Conference of Women's and Gender Equality Representatives at Universities (bukof), around 250 participants discussed perspectives on the climate crisis and sustainability in the context of universities, gender and social inequalities under the motto "GENDERKlimaGERECHT". During the opening event, video greetings were played by Federal Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (Federal Ministry of Education and Research), Kathrin Moosdorf, Senator for Environment, Climate and Science of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, and Prof. Dr. Antje Boetius, Director of the Alfred Wegener Institute. The event is supported with funds from the Senator for the Environment, Climate and Science of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen.

"We interpret this conference at our university as a strong symbol of our commitment to social responsibility and creating an inclusive learning environment. We strongly believe that education is key to promoting gender equality and social justice. Through cooperation and dialogue, we jointly create important impulses for our educational institution and, beyond that, for society. The quality of life in a city is often closely related to its educational institution. By choosing our university, bukof also emphasises our role in promoting gender equality and social justice in our home city of Bremerhaven," says Prof. Dr. Dr. Alexis Papathanassis, Rector of Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences.

The Federal Conference of Women's and Gender Equality Representatives at Universities (bukof) is the voice of gender policy in the discourse on science and higher education policy. It provides a common platform for all gender equality actors at universities and serves as a platform for the exchange of information and experience. At the annual conference in Bremerhaven, participants could expect a comprehensive range of workshops and lectures on sustainability issues and the question of what role gender equality and social justice play in this. "Thinking about and bringing together gender and sustainability policies is a task that all universities and their gender equality actors will have to face in the future. The fact that bukof has chosen this motto for its annual conference is a strong signal. There was no question for us that Bremerhaven, as a science location where sustainability and climate justice are of particular importance, is the ideal place to host such a conference. We are pleased about the suggestions and insights we were all able to gain and thank you for the fruitful exchange that was made possible during the conference," says Aenne Dunker, central women's representative BremHG at Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences.

Further information on equal opportunities work at Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences can be found at www.hs-bremerhaven.de/gleichstellung.