The Generation Equality Forum and Our Commitments for Advancing Gender Equality
In 1995, 189 countries committed to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a forward-looking blueprint for advancing women’s rights. While much progress was made to move forward on gender equality in subsequent years, more remains to be done on health and human rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). In 2021, UN Women, the Government of France, and the Government of Mexico convened the Generation Equality Forum (GEF), a multigenerational campaign and platform to unify all sectors and accelerate collective action for bigger and bolder commitments and actions for gender equality. The Forum launched a 5-year action plan with concrete, ambitious and transformative actions, including USD $40 billion in financial commitments.
Women Deliver and partners announced seven commitments during GEF totaling an investment of US $4 million in programming over five years to advance the health, rights, and wellbeing of all girls and women, in all their intersecting identities. These commitments align with Women Deliver’s 2021-2025 Strategic Framework.
Examples of our Advocacy in Action:
Citizens Call for a Gender-Equal World: A Roadmap for Action
In order to help catalyze action by world leaders on gender equality in the lead up to GEF, Women Deliver and Focus 2030 launched a first-of-its-kind survey in 17 countries on public perceptions around gender equality and GEF’s key themes. This survey equipped key stakeholders with the credible and on-the-ground evidence needed to make strong and informed commitments to gender equality. Survey results found that the global public overwhelmingly supports gender equality and are ready for their governments and business leaders to take action to bridge the gender divide. Paired with the survey findings are recommendations for how to accelerate progress on gender equality.
Generation Equality Advocacy Tool
On the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, known as Generation Equality, we launched a multilingual advocacy tool to drive momentum for the Generation Equality Forum, make the case for action across sectors, and encourage new partners to connect to Generation Equality Forum and Action Coalitions. The online tool takes a narrative approach and describes where progress in gender equality has been made, where new challenges have arisen (such as the COVID-19 pandemic), and where action is still urgently needed. It also outlines seven action-oriented recommendations for governments and the private sector to take up, in support of the Generation Equality Forum convened by UN Women, the Government of France, and the Government of Mexico.
Bigger Bolder Campaign
In March 2020, much of the in-person planning for the annual Commission on the Status of Women, set to be a major advocacy moment on the road to the GEF (originally scheduled for 2020, and shifted to 2021), came to an abrupt halt with the initial spread of COVID-19. Women Deliver took action to ensure civil society voices would have an alternative outlet. We conceptualized a digital advocacy campaign well as a digital mobilization effort — #BiggerBolder — comprised of a web form, targeted outreach, and social media extension. Advocates were prompted to answer the question: “What bigger, bolder commitments are needed to reach gender equality?”, and their answers helped inform our policy and advocacy priorities for GEF and beyond.
Broader Advocacy Efforts
Women Deliver worked behind-the-scenes and publicly to ensure the overarching GEF commitment framework — The Global Acceleration Plan for Gender Equality — had the strongest language in terms of gender equality and other key priority issues.
