Gary Barker

Gary Barker, PhD, is CEO and founder of Promundo's offices in Brazil and the U.S., which have worked for nearly 20 years in more than 25 countries to engage men and boys in achieving gender equality and ending violence against women and girls. Beginning in low income areas of Rio de Janeiro, Promundo's approaches have been incorporated by the UN and into ministries of health and education around the world. Gary is co-founder of MenCare, a global campaign in more than 40 countries to promote men's involvement as equitable, non-violent caregivers, and co-founder of MenEngage, a global alliance of more than 600 NGOs and UN agencies. He created and leads IMAGES (the International Men and Gender Equality Survey), the largest ever survey of men's attitudes and behaviors related to violence, fatherhood, and gender equality. He is co-author of State of the World's Fathers (2015), which contributed to new parental leave policies in several countries. He has advised UNHCR, UN Women, USAID, the World Bank, the InterAmerican Development Bank, UNFPA, UNDP, WHO, and numerous national governments and foundations in violence prevention, youth development and gender equality. He holds a PhD in child and adolescent development, and is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish.