(MENAFN- Jordan News Agency)
Amman, July 7 (Petra) -- Dozens of young people from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, opinion leaders, and representatives from governments and the United Nations launched Wednesday in Amman a new game app called 'WeRise' that aims to promote gender equality.
WeRise was developed by youth; for youth, with more than a hundred young volunteers from six MENA countries who developed the game's contents with support from UN Women, according to a statement released Thursday by UN Women Country Office Jordan.
It is an edutainment app for smartphones, available in Arabic, French and English languages on android and ios stores featuring a multitude of competitions, word puzzles, and more, highlighting the critical role young people can play in bringing people together to promote gender equality, bring societies closer, and women's and men's rights and voices equal.
'We strongly believe in the role of young women and men to make communities and societies more just, inclusive, and as a result, more prosperous for all. Young people are a repository of the progress of societies across the Arab region, including in the rights of women and girls. Edutainment is a globally rising industry, expected to grow to 8.1 billion in the next ten years. And that is why UN Women, together with its partners, are part of this exciting development of a fun and informative app that will equip Youth throughout the Arab States and even globally with further knowledge around gender equality, making them even stronger agents for change within their communities and societies at large', said Susanne Mikhail Eldhagen, UN Women Regional Director for Arab States.
UN Women and young volunteers from Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, and Jordan developed this game with support from the governments of Sweden and the Netherlands to question gender stereotypes and change attitudes towards discriminatory gender roles in the MENA region. The development of WeRise was done under the framework of the UN Women's regional program, 'Men and Women for Gender Equality,' whose goal is to promote social norms and behavioral change in favor of gender equality.
'I am truly excited about the WeRise game app and hope it contributes to engaging more and more young men and women for gender equality and women's empowerment in Jordan and across the MENA region. It's encouraging to see the creativity in using gaming as a platform to educate, raise awareness, and foster discussions on gender roles and stereotypes,' said Alexandra Rydmark, Sweden's Ambassador to Jordan.
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