Goal: 1,000 commitments for gender equality

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Women suffer gender violence for the fact that they are, at least, one in three. Millions are raped, murdered, mutilated. Most earn less than their male counterparts for the same job, they dedicate more hours to unpaid care work. They are a minority in positions of economic and political power. Those who reach the top are attacked more virulently than men: for their clothes, whether they are mothers or not, their relationships. Almost half of the world's female population does not have the autonomy to decide about their health, the use of contraceptives or when and how to have sexual intercourse. The list of discriminations is immense, it does not end here. It has been known for decades and was clearly described 26 years ago at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. A plan was made. Little progress has been made.With the covid-19 it has even regressed. But once the phases of diagnosis and search for solutions are over, the question now is what each one is committed to doing to achieve equality.

More information

• Generation Equality Forum: a global meeting in Paris to promote gender equality after the setbacks of the pandemic

• UN Women Director: "Gender-based violence is a shadow pandemic, as devastating as the coronavirus"

• If you are a woman, does your body belong to you?

At the Generation Equality Forum, organized by UN Women, the governments of Mexico and France, between June 30 and July 2, in Paris and virtually, participants are not called to recall the data and the importance of combating inequality gender issues, they are not asked to help raise awareness or make visible, but to formulate concrete commitments, announce donations, policies and programs for the next five years.

Here you come to act.

Feminist funds and policies

"This is an emergency. We cannot go slowly now, ”says Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, director of UN Women, in a previous meeting with journalists organized by the UN Foundation. “In the last 26 years we see more women in leadership positions, but it is not enough; that there are only 25% women parliamentarians is not enough ”, she reflects. The Global Acceleration Plan launched at the Generation Equality Forum warns: “At the current rate of progress, more than 2.1 billion women and girls will live in countries that will not achieve any key gender equality goal by 2030. And no woman or girl will live in a country that fulfills them all ”.

"What we have now is a Forum with States, civil society, philanthropic organizations and the private sector to finance gender equality." A budget was one of the lacks to advance with the plan agreed in Beijing and also in the Sustainable Development Goals. On the first day of the Generation Equality Forum, 40,000 million dollars have already been committed.

In addition to the millionaire ads from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - $ 2.1 billion, 1,400 of them for sexual and reproductive health programs - or the World Bank - $ 10 billion more. There were also proposals from the global south, such as that of the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta. In his speech at the opening session, he pledged to "end female genital mutilation from now until the end of next year," and will invest three million dollars to combat gender-based violence. In this chapter, the African country will create a fund for survivors of sexist violence together with NGOs and the support of the private sector, and will include in the national health statistics, questions to have evidence of this problem and be able to respond to it.

At the Opening Ceremony of the #GenerationEquality Forum Paris, ED @phumzileunwomen proudly announced a grand total of over 40 billion dollars dedicated to the cause of changing the world.

Not just for women & girls, but for everyone. # ActForEqual pic.twitter.com/kcYoJKXrS7

- UN Women (@UN_Women) June 30, 2021

Commitments such as those of the African president, large foundations or small NGOs will not be words that the wind blows. Some will remain recorded, all will be in writing through a registration of commitments available on the website of the Forum. In it, essential to participate in the meeting, the organizations are asked to say what their specific one is, the deadline to achieve it, if it is economic, legislative or programmatic, and which of the six coalitions of action contributes with its promise: violence of genre; justice and economic rights, autonomy over the body, sexual and reproductive health and rights; feminist action for climate justice; technology and innovation for gender equality; and feminist movements and leaderships.

“The Forum does not end in Paris”, comments the General Secretary of the Generation Equality Forum, Delphine O. “Now a five-year stage is beginning to get it approved;

it is a sufficient period to be ambitious and at the same time follow up and achieve it ”.

The goal of the organizers is to reach a thousand commitments.

A great feminist family

Like family board games, the Generation Equality Forum is suitable from 0 to 99 years (or more). Women leaders, politicians, activists, civil society organizations, governments, diplomats, foundations, businessmen, young people, the elderly, LGTBI, from the north or south, urban and rural. Everyone is invited to this global meeting to be part of a great feminist family. “This is not an intergovernmental process to use”, launches Delphine O. “Everyone is invited to the party, but they have to put something on the table; whoever does not do so will not participate ”, he adds. This is how you end empty speeches.

The type of commitment will depend on the capacity of each one, but it is inescapable to adhere to the general principles and the feminist narrative of the Forum.

“So we are not going to have the

bad guys

who have openly taken positions against women's rights and gender equality, just because we left the door open;

they didn't go in basically because they don't want to commit and it's okay that they don't have to be at the table.

And there is no way that we can force them ”, details the General Secretary of the Forum.

However, O is proud that her "intense diplomatic work" during two years of preparation for the meeting, have been able to start commitments from countries in which it is not exactly that

the bad guys

rule.

, but where women's rights are not a priority. “I'm thinking of Burkina Faso, a small French-speaking West African country, far from the top when it comes to gender equality rankings. After working with them, they will announce important commitments, for example regarding sexual and reproductive health rights, which is not an easy subject in that part of the world. And the Minister of Health, the Prime Minister and the President are very committed to the issue, including sexuality education, access to contraception, and are open to talking about abortion, which is an important step, ”reveals O. One more member of the great feminist family.

“We want it to be intergenerational, but in everything we do, young people will be in the best position.

We have to support them on our old shoulders so that they can see further and go further ”, adds Mlambo-Ngcuka.

Rappers and activists will share their wishes with philanthropists like Melinda Gates or presidents of the Government like Angela Merkel.

The NGOs and feminist organizations that in Beijing were outside the meetings demanding transparency, are now inside, and not as observers.

They too, men, are welcome.

Goal: 1,000 commitments for gender equality.

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