Generation Equality Forum: Billions pledged to advance gender equality
Major commitments to tackle gender inequality were announced at the Generation Equality Forum – the largest international conference on women’s rights in more than 25 years – that kicked off in Paris.
Heads of State, Government and international organizations, activists from civil society and youth-led organizations, philanthropists and CEOs of private sector companies gathered on Wednesday for the opening of the Forum held from 30 June to 2 July.
The Generation Equality Forum – convened by UN Women and co-hosted by the governments of Mexico and France – launched a Global Acceleration Plan for Gender Equality, driven by six Action Coalitions, and launched a Compact on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action, with the aim to accelerate gender equality in the next five years and to face the growing risks to women’s rights caused by COVID-19.
During the opening event, major commitments were announced by the Heads of State and Government of France, the United States of America, Kenya, Argentina, Georgia, Finland, Canada, Germany, South Africa, the European Union and from international organizations and private sector.
The commitments included:
- $40 billion+ in new investments benefitting women and girls, with government commitments over the three days expected to total USD 17 billion. At the Opening Ceremony, a $2.1 billion commitment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to advance women’s leadership, reproductive health, and economic empowerment was announced, alongside a $420 million investment from the Ford Foundation to tackle threats to women’s rights caused by COVID-19. The World Bank committed to a major investment for programmes in 12 African States to tackle gender inequalities.
- The implementation of major policy reforms and programmes to advance gender equality. The President of Kenya announced a national strategy and resources to prevent and respond to gender-based violence. The Prime Minister of Canada presented the country’s commitment to invest in a care system to benefit women and girls and the President of Georgia presented her commitment to lead legislative change on the legal definition of rape. The Vice President of the United States made policy and resource commitments on gender-based violence, women’s economic security, and sexual and reproductive health and rights.
- The launch of new coordination mechanisms to advance key issues for gender equality, such as a new Global Alliance on Care and an Alliance to Fund Sustainable Feminist Movements.
World leaders pledged support
Speaking live in Paris, French president Emmanuel Macron underscored his commitment to confront the gender equality crisis. “Through the Generation Equality Forum, France’s objective is to state loud and clear that the rights of women and girls are universal, as are all human rights, everywhere, all the time.” The French government committed $100 million to improve access to contraceptives and family planning.
Gender equality is paramount to strengthening democracy, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris told the summit by video link. “Women deprived of freedom of speech or the freedom to vote should fight for their rights and know that the United States stands beside them,” she said.
“Use the tools for democracy, whether that is the freedom of speech or the freedom to vote. And if you do not yet have those freedoms, fight for them and know we will fight alongside you. If we want to strengthen democracy, we must fight for gender equality. Because here is the truth: Democracy is strongest when everyone participates and it is weaker when people are left out,” Kamala Harris added.
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women, said the forum was a reaction to the slowness of achieving both the Beijing action plan and the UN’s sustainable development goals, and made more urgent by the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on women.
Gender inequalities rose during the pandemic
The Forum marks the most significant international convening for gender equality since the 1995 Women’s Conference in Beijing, and comes at a critical moment to reverse rising gender inequality caused by COVID-19.
Even before the pandemic, almost one in three women worldwide experienced abuse; during the pandemic, calls to helplines increased five-fold in some countries. The UN predicts that at the current rate of progress, it will take another 130 years to reach gender equality at the highest positions of power.
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