Redefining Inclusion in the Built Environment
A United Nations CSW70 Event
Redefining Inclusion in the Built Environment: An Interdisciplinary Dialogue on Indoor Air Quality, Gender Equality and Health is a forward-looking, interdisciplinary event that examines how ventilation and indoor air quality – core yet often invisible elements of the built environment – shape inclusion, participation, and equality.
The built environment is not gender-neutral – rather, its elements are planned, designed, and operated within social systems that often overlook differences in roles, exposure, and lived experience. Indoor air quality and ventilation play a significant role in shaping how spaces function for diverse users across workplaces, housing, schools, and public facilities.
This event on the sides of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women will explore how ventilation strategies and indoor air quality considerations can either reinforce existing inequalities or contribute to more inclusive environments. Through a moderated discussion bringing together experts from engineering, architecture, policy, sustainability, and gender equality advocacy, the event will examine how ventilation and building design can:
- Support inclusive indoor environments across varied uses and stakeholder groups
- Improve comfort, productivity, and usability in spaces where people live and work
- Integrate indoor air quality considerations into gender-responsive design and standards
- Strengthen sustainable and resilient approaches to the built environment
- Advance inclusive participation in engineering, design, and infrastructure leadership
By placing indoor air quality and ventilation within a broader social and environmental context, the event underscores the importance of aligning technical expertise with inclusive planning and decision-making.
Agenda:
9:30am-10am: Registration
10am-11am: Training Session on Optimizing Humidity, Ventilation & Indoor Air Quality
11am-12:30pm: Panel Discussion on Redefining Inclusion in the Built Environment: An Interdisciplinary Dialogue on Indoor Air Quality, Gender Equality & Health
12:30pm-1:30pm: Lunch and Networking Session
Training Session Speaker
Gabriel Fernandes
Gabriel Fernandes is the Regional Manager at Zehnder America, bringing extensive experience in sales leadership, project management, and building systems. He specializes in building codes, high-performance ventilation products, and strategic business development, helping partners deliver efficient, compliant, and innovative indoor climate solutions across the region.
Panelists
Dr. Pamela Chasek
Dr. Chasek is Professor of Political Science at Manhattan University, where she focuses on international relations and environmental politics in the Political Science Department. An international policy expert, she is also the co-founder and executive editor of the Earth Negotiations Bulletin, a reporting service on United Nations environment and development negotiations.
Venge Nyirongo
Venge Nyirongo is UN Women’s Intergovernmental Specialist. He builds on his work in gender equality and, particularly, the advancement of women’s economic empowerment, from prior experiences in UNEP and UNDP. He is an economist with a research interests in economic modeling of access to products and services in developing countries.
Dr. Beth Blissman
Dr. Beth Blissman serves as a representative to the United Nations for the Loretto Community. She brings more than 20 years of experience as a practitioner-scholar in community-engaged teaching and learning in higher education to this work, as well as a deep interest in permaculture, spirituality and shifting worldviews.
Â
Kirin Kennedy
Kirin Kennedy is the Director of Sustainability at CICADA Architecture. A licensed architect who brings a passion for sustainability and Philadelphia to all of her projects, she has a broad range of experiences from healthcare and higher education to single and multifamily homes that benefit users and the environment.
Kehkashan Basu, M.S.M.
Kehkashan Basu is the Marketing Lead – Ventilation at Zehnder Group North America. She has an MBA from Cornell University. Kehkashan is a global influencer, environmentalist, sustainability expert, TEDx speaker and award-winning author. She is the recipient of Canada’s Meritorious Service Medal and the Spirit of the United Nations Award.