Category Archives: WOMEN’S EQUALITY

Mexico: First “Festival of the Heroines of Independence”

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY .

An article from Page 3 (translation by CPNN)

From 5 to On September 11, the “First Festival of the Heroines of Independence” will be held in the City of Oaxaca. It will contribute to the construction of a culture of peace by recognizing the women who, with their effort, courage and even with their lives, have contributed to the foundation of our country.

Music, theater, history, cinema, poetry and gastronomy will serve as vehicles to pay tribute and make visible the women who have been systematically erased from the history of Mexico.

At a press conference to publicize this Festival, the general director of the “Las Heroínas” Collective, Martha Toledo Mar, explained that the idea of ​​the project arose as a result of the Bicentennial Celebration of the Independence of Mexico, which only gave tribute to heroic men.

“There we realized that there was a deep historical void in the psyche of the Mexican people; It is not that those who write the history books forgot, it is not something free, it is on purpose, it is a matter of the system, of the patriarchy, ”she remarked.

This Festival, said Toledo Mar, seeks to recognize all those women with names and surnames. She mentioned that there is a record of more than 50 women who fought for independence, however, the majority of the population only remembers two: Doña Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez and Leona Vicario.

“We believe that for a culture of peace to exist, it is necessary to recognize and give the place that corresponds to each of these women and thus reduce the historical debt. We firmly believe that what is not named, does not exist”, underlined Martha Toledo Mar. And she added that precisely for this reason, on this occasion the Festival will pay tribute in life to the historian, researcher and activist Margarita Dalton.

In a subsequent interview, the co-director of the Consortium for Parliamentary Dialogue and Equity, Yésica Sánchez Maya, stressed that it is essential for this organization to continue to influence the visibility of all the contributions of women in all structures of society; hence, she pointed out, the importance of this artistic project by Martha Toledo Mar.

“This festival seemed like a fundamental proposal to us because historically we have been unrecognized, always made invisible. This exercise of women for women is a long-term commitment to the construction of peace that seeks to generate new ways of recognizing and dignifying, through the arts, singing and creativity, to those women who were not recognized at the time,” he said.

In this sense, Sánchez Maya welcomed the support of the municipality of Oaxaca de Juárez for making available public spaces where some of the activities will take place. This will make art and culture more accessible for Oaxacans.

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(Click here for the original Spanish version.)

Questions for this article

Prospects for progress in women’s equality, what are the short and long term prospects?

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For her part, Rocío Morales, singer-songwriter and cultural manager added: “telling a story in a song is a challenge. This is documented in the book Addicted to the Insurgency by Celia Palacios which makes known and honors the women whom history does not mention.

Similarly, Jade Midori, an Oaxacan plastic artist, remarked: “I think it is very important to make women visible within social movements, not only on commemorative historical dates such as Independence, but also within historical and contemporary social struggles.”

The women to be honored by artists are:

Tonena,
Leticia Gallardo,
Martha ToledoMar,
Olympia Silvavarez,
Anastasia Sonaranda,
Evelyn Acosta,
Rosalia Leon,
Dolores Sanjuan,
Ana Diaz,
Coyolicatzin,
Reina Valenzuela,
astrid hadad,
Olinka,
Violet Parrandera,
Athena Ochoa,
Salma Corres,
Nancy Zamer
Elo Vit,
Rocio Morales and
Akna.

Toledo Mar explained that through her music, the participants will honor:

Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez,
Leona Vicar,
Gertrudis Bocanegra,
Maria Ignacia “La Güera Rodríguez”,
Altagracia Market,
Maria Manuela Medina “The Captain”,
Mariana Rodriguez del Toro
Luisa Martinez,
Antonia Nava from Catalan “La Generala”,
Rita Perez de Moreno,
The Women of Miahuatlan,
Rafaela Lopez Aguado,
Cecilia Villareal,
Maria Josepha Martinez,
Manuela Herrera and
Anonymous heroines.

As part of this Festival, two plays will also be developed at the “Juárez” Theater by the Compañía Nacional de Teatro Novohispano and the Compañía de Teatro “Lola Bravo”, in addition to 3 conferences by historians Margarita Dalton, Rebeca Orozco and Celia del Palacio; a round table, four projections of historical films and the presentation of three commemorative murals. Poetry readings, literary gatherings and themed dinners are also planned.

The “Las heroínas” Collective is made up of the Zapotec singer-songwriter and priestess Rocío Morales, the decimist and former Goddess Centéotl, Evelin Acosta, the singer and cultural manager Nohemí Mondragón, and the singer-songwriter and composer Anastasia Sonaranda.
It also includes the composer and visual artist José Luis Guzmán Wolffer, the playwright and actor Francisco Hernández, the marketer and activist Lalo Lara and the coordinator of the Institutional Program for the Culture of Peace of the Autonomous University “Benito Juárez” of Oaxaca (UABJO), Leticia Cruz Lopez.

Latin America, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Mexico: Curricular Strategy on Gender Equality to be implemented in public schools

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY .

An article by Aura Moreno for the Estado de México

Gender stereotypes have been identified in children up to 5 years old, so when they join primary school they already have extensive knowledge about what it means socially to be a man or a woman, said Rosa María Torres Hernández, rector of the National Pedagogical University and member of the Consultative Council for the Review of Educational Content in the Matter of Gender Equality for Basic and Upper Secondary Education of the State Educational System

“These ideas are built in a society with a history that has generated unequal relationships, privileging the masculine over the feminine, according to what we know from the 2018 youth consultation of the INE and the consultation carried out by INMujeres”

In a public event, she pointed out that in recent decades gender studies have multiplied in the face of the growth of violence, especially that experienced against women.

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(Click here for the original Spanish version)

Question for this article

Gender equality in education, Is it advancing?

Is there progress towards a culture of peace in Mexico?

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Gender stereotypes

The results of these analyzes have allowed us to know that children, from a young age, acquire basic concepts about gender. To address this problem, she said, the Curriculum Strategy on Gender Equality will be implemented in public and private schools at the basic and upper secondary levels in the State of Mexico.

This in a state where more than half of the students in the state public system are women and 60 percent of the enrollment of the Autonomous Mexiquense is made up of women. Practically 7 out of 10 Mexican teachers are also women.

Curricular Strategy on Gender Equality will be implemented in public schools

“One of the problems in the national territory is gender inequality and violence, especially towards girls and women of all ages, mainly indigenous women, poor women, with low schooling, sexual diversity or if they live with a disability.”

For his part, the governor, Alfredo del Mazo, added that with the matter of Gender Equality they seek to build a fairer society. He explained that they have prepared 4 books for teachers and 5 for students that will be distributed in public and private basic and upper secondary education.

(See also Unesco Recognizes the Implementation of the Subject of Gender Equality in Edoméx Schools.)

Latin America, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Gabon: Women’s Commitment to Health and Sanitation in the Province Woleu-Ntem

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY .

An article for CPNN by Jerry Bibang (translation by CPNN)

The Pan-African Youth Network for the Culture of Peace, Gabon section (PAYNCoP Gabon) launched, on Wednesday August 03, in Oyem, in the north of Gabon, the project “Women’s Commitment to Health and Sanitation in the Province Woleu-Ntem”.

The initiative supported by the Conference of Ministers of Youth and Sports of the Francophonie (CONFEJES) and the Town Hall of the municipality of Oyem is part of a vast program of CONFEJES entitled Woman – Sport – Health .

Its general objective is to encourage women to practice physical and sports activities as well as environmental protection, according to Rachel Oyane, member of the project team.

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(Click here for the original French version.)

Questions for this article

Prospects for progress in women’s equality, what are the short and long term prospects?

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The initiative, which targets 200 women in the province of Woleu-Ntem, is based on three main activities, in particular an awareness campaign on the benefits of sport for women, a walk with the collection of plastic waste, a fitness session and a provincial women’s football tournament which will engage women from Woleu-Ntem province in northern Gabon, said Jerry Bibang, the project coordinator.

After the launch in Oyem, our team will crisscross the municipalities of Mitzic, Minvoul and Bitam for the implementation of these various activities which primarily concern women who do not have regular physical and sports activity, explained Jimmy Thalès ONDO, also a member of the project team.

The objective is to get them to understand the benefits of sport, in particular the fight against certain diseases, but also the need to keep their environment clean, hence the activity of walking and collecting plastic waste.

For the Town Hall of Oyem, represented by the 4th deputy mayor, Mrs. Angue Owono Françoise, the initiative is in line with the vision of the municipal council of the town of Oyem which is to make the provincial capital of Woleu-Ntem a beautiful town. and clean, in accordance with the will of the highest authorities of the country. This project is a real opportunity to encourage women to get involved in the fight for healthy lifestyles and for the practice of physical and sports activities. The town hall, under the leadership of Mayor Christian Abessolo Menguey, will reflect on how to continue these activities even beyond the project, she said.

The implementation of this project follows a call for applications, launched by CONFEJES to public organizations and civil society at the pan-African level. Out of 79 applications, only 14 were selected. The PAYNCoP Gabon project was ranked 4th best project by an international jury.

Africa, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Call for Applications: Strengthening Young Women Peacebuilders’ Capacity in Complex Crises

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY .

An announcment from the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations

Are you a young woman peacebuilder or human rights defender leading a local organization? Are you working to build and sustain peace, provide humanitarian relief in your community, prevent conflicts, or fight for human rights and equality? If your answer is YES, do not miss this opportunity!

WHAT IS THE PROGRAMME ABOUT?

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), in collaboration with the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), are launching the pilot initiative Strengthening Young Women Peacebuilders’ Capacity in Complex Crises, a programme that seeks to support young women leading civil society organizations in fragile and/or conflict-affected countries.

The objective of this initiative is to provide capacity-building for young women-led organizations to strengthen their fundraising skills, and to create a space for peer exchange, networking, sharing of best practices, and lessons learned among young women peacebuilders.

A 4-day, in-person workshop will be held in November 2022 in Tbilisi, Georgia. You will learn about:

* Key policy areas such as peacebuilding and sustaining peace, the women, peace, and security (WPS) and the youth, peace, and security (YPS) agendas;

* Key project management skills: designing and drafting project proposals (including conflict analysis, theory of change, logical frameworks), fundraising, donor outreach, and reporting.

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Questions for this article

Does the UN advance equality for women?

Do women have a special role to play in the peace movement?

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WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?

To be eligible, you must meet the following criteria:

* Be a young woman between 18 and 30 years old. LGBTIQ+ individuals are encouraged to apply.

* Be a citizen of, and be living in, one of the following countries or territories: Afghanistan, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, Iraq, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Moldova, Mozambique, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen.

* Have not yet received funding from the United Nations.

* Be a founding or key member of a legally registered civil society organization working on peacebuilding, human rights, women’s rights, youth rights, or related.

* Have a working knowledge of either English, French, or Spanish.

HOW TO APPLY

Please fill in the online application form  before 15 August 2022.

For any inquiries, please send an email to marie.doucey@unwomen.org.

global, United Nations, WOMEN'S EQUALITY,

Bolivia Enacts Law on Femicide, Infanticide & Rape

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from Telesur English

On Monday, the Bolivian government enacted a law to protect victims of femicides, infanticides, and rape of children and adolescents, given the cases in the country in which convicted rapists and murderers have been released.

Criticizing the patriarchal system that sustains gender-based violence, Bolivian President Luis Arce said that the law “establishes mechanisms to protect the rights of the victims.” 


President Luis Arce enacted Law 179/2021 for the Protection of Victims of Femicide, Infanticide and Rape of Children and Adolescents. July. 4, 2022. | Photo: Twitter/@EmbajadaBolesp

Questions for this article

Protecting women and girls against violence, Is progress being made?

According to the head of state, the law is intended to counteract acts of prevarication and the formation of consortiums that seek to benefit rapists or femicides.  

The penalties for prevarication in cases of femicide and infanticide are increased to up to 20 years in prison. The Bolivian Ministry of Justice said that criminal proceedings would be initiated for delay and revictimization would not be allowed.

The President asked the militants of the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) and its ministers to “show by example” the “true fight against violence” without “double standards.”

Attorney General’s Office reports showed that between January and June of this year, 48 cases of femicide and 21 infanticides had been registered in Bolivia.   

The Public Prosecutor’s Office said that asphyxiation, blows or trauma, and the use of bladed weapons or intoxication by substances are the leading causes of these violent deaths of women.

This year was declared the Year of the Cultural Revolution for De-patriarchalization in Bolivia, seeking to establish structural solutions to curb the persistent cases of violence against women in the country. 

Latin America, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Mexico: The Alamo City Council promotes a culture of peace among women

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from Avc Noticias (translation by CPNN)

The Nuevo Paso Real, Buenos Aires and Aguanacida ejidos (shared agricultural lands), together with the Pantepec and Santa Cruz neighborhoods, formed the networks of women builders of Peace (MUCPAZ).


Questions related to this article:

Protecting women and girls against violence, Is progress being made?

Is there progress towards a culture of peace in Mexico?

The formation of MUCPAZ networks translates into actions aimed at transforming women’s lives, support and direct communication between women and the Municipal Government headed by Lilia Arrieta through the Municipal Institute for Women.

The objective of the MUCPAZ Strategy is to establish citizen networks of women that allow them to collaborate with government agencies to prevent gender violence, through focused and comprehensive strategies that contribute to identifying risk factors, detecting in a timely manner possible situations of violence, promoting equality between women and men, contributing to creating environments free of violence and promoting a culture of peace.

(Click here for the original article in Spanish.)

Latin America, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

One year driving action for gender equality. One year of Generation Equality

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY .

An article from the Generation Equality Forum

One year ago, the Generation Equality Forum brought together leaders from governments, civil society, youth and the private sector to take bold global action on gender equality, marking the start of an ambitious 5-year journey convened by UN Women.

Since the Forum, convened by UN Women and co-hosted by the Governments of France and Mexico, countries and partners have already initiated implementation of commitments made  through six Action Coalitions, and a series of global, innovative, multi-stakeholder partnerships for gender equality., In addition, signatories to the Women, Peace and Security, and Humanitarian Action Compact are beginning to make progress on Compact framework actions, designed to drive progress on implementation of existing global commitments to the women, peace and security, and gender in humanitarian action agendas.

Progress made throughout the first year of the Generation Equality initiative includes  work by the Government of Kenya, global leader of the Action Coalition on Gender Based Violence, to make strides in advancement on the implementation of their 12 commitments, which include national gender-based violence prevention and response policies, resource allocation on programmes for prevention and response to gender-based violence, consultations with civil society and violence survivor, production of gender-sensitive data and evidence, and the ratification of international conventions, amongst other actions, including an investment of over US$1 million to eliminate female genital mutilation in the next four years. As part of the one-year anniversary of the Forum, Kenya published a report on the progress that has been made on each one of their commitments.

Other important advancements have been achieved by the Global Alliance for Care Work, which in the last year has presented new evidence on the impact of policies that grant remuneration, recognition and redistribution of care work done by women, helping to develop new national policies and bringing together care work activists and decision-makers to the table.

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Questions for this article

Does the UN advance equality for women?

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Youth activists have also made progress in coordination with UN Women by leading the Generation Equality localization of commitments, which provides the opportunity for young activists to share how they have leveraged their experiences during the Generation Equality Forum to localize activities in their communities, and in June 2022 a workshop was organized with 32 adolescents and girls to discuss actions and sharing experiences to strengthen the impact at a local level. During CSW66, youth networks convened to outline recommendations for Compact Signatories to increase youth participation and leadership in the women, peace and security and humanitarian space.

The 2021 Generation Equality Forum secured over 1,000 policy, advocacy and financial commitments for gender equality and a historic US$40 billion pledged to make gender equality a global reality. One year on, those commitments have doubled to more than 2,000 and advocates are beginning the important work of ensuring accountability with a first progress report due for publication in September. 

New commitments include high-impact actions, such as the one presented by the Nordic Council of Ministers for Gender Equality and LGBTI, consisting of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and the autonomous areas of Greenland, Åland and the Faroe Islands. The Nordic Council of Ministers presented a joint commitment to invest in gender-conscious climate solutions and to implement domestic policies that interweave sustainable development, gender equality, and youth engagement with climate action. The private sector has also stepped up commitments, an example being the Koc Group, which will mobilize its Group of companies in support of the Action Coalition on Technology and Innovation for Gender Equality.

These and other Action Coalitions commitments by Member States, private sector, foundations, civil society and youth leaders can be viewed through the Generation Equality Commitment Dashboard, launched recently by UN Women: https://commitments.generationequality.org/dashboard/directory/.

The Compact, which calls for the redesign of peace and security and humanitarian processes to systematically and meaningfully include women and girls, has seen more than 160 signatories   pledging investments to over 1000 Compact Framework actions. In the last year, Compact leaders and signatories have developed a Compact Monitoring Framework to track progress and gaps over the next five years, and Compact Signatories have prioritized financing, programmatic, policy and advocacy actions to address women’s and girls’ rights in conflicts and crises in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Mali, Myanmar, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen.


Compact Signatory Actions can be explored on the Compact Dashboard here: https://wpshacompact.org/wpsha-compact-dashboard/.

A progress report on the first year of Generation Equality implementation will be launched in September at an event in conjunction with the UN General Assembly. Further details will be available closer to the date.

global, United Nations, WOMEN'S EQUALITY,

Women of the World Call for Peace

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from Scheerpost

Presented on May 10th, 2022, by Women Transforming Our Nuclear Legacy, a coalition of the women leaders and activists from around the world call for peace in Ukraine and and an end to the threat of nuclear war. 


Video of their videoconference

Born out of an American-Russian Women’s Dialogue and Peacebuilding Initiative founded just over a year ago, the group started with the goal of improving US-Russia relations, reducing tensions, averting a nuclear war, and working together for the disarmament and elimination of nuclear weapons.

Over the last year, they wrote multiple open letters published in both countries calling for peace. Their most recent open letter, published a week before the Russian invasion of Ukraine link stood with Ukraine calling for peace. They have issued an appeal for peace in Ukraine calling for an immediate ceasefire “to stop the killing, bloodshed, and immense human suffering.”

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Question related to this article:
 
Can the peace movement help stop the Ukraine war?

Do women have a special role to play in the peace movement?

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SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES:

Mairead Corrigan Maguire is a Nobel Peace Laureate and Co-founder of Peace People, Northern Ireland. Mairead was the aunt of three Maguire children who died as a result of being hit by an Irish Republican Army getaway car after its driver was shot by a British soldier. She responded to the violence facing her family and community by organizing massive peace demonstrations appealing for an end to the bloodshed and a nonviolent solution to the conflict. Mairead was awarded the l976 Nobel Peace Prize for her courageous efforts in co-founding a movement to help bring about peace and end the violence arising out of the ethnic political conflict in Northern Ireland. Since receiving the award, she has dedicated her life to promoting peace and disarmament, both in Northern Ireland and around the world.  

Dr. Paula Garb is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Peacemaking Practice at George Mason University. For the past twenty-eight years, Dr. Garb has facilitated citizen dialogues and taught peaceful problem-solving skills in conflict zones of the South Caucasus and to gang intervention workers in Southern California. She also taught mediation and conflict resolution at the University of California, Irvine for twenty-five years.  Dr. Garb serves on the board of UCI’s Center for Citizen Peacebuilding which she co-founded and co-directed for twenty years. She has also published numerous books and journal articles on peacebuilding. 

Ambassador Elayne Whyte Gomez is a diplomat and academic who previously served as the Ambassador from Costa Rica to the United Nations in Geneva. In 2017, Ambassador Whyte presided over the UN Conference that negotiated and adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.  Facing extraordinary time pressure, and, at times, contentious debate, Ambassador Whyte facilitated the adoption of this landmark agreement by a vote of 122 nations in favor, one against, and one abstention. Among her many accomplishments, she is also the first woman and the youngest person ever to serve as vice minister of Foreign Affairs in Costa Rica. 

Cynthia Lazaroff is the Senior Creative Producer for US-Russia Relations: The Quest for Stability, a seven-part multimedia documentary produced with philanthropic support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Over the past forty years, Cynthia has been engaged in Track II and 1.5 diplomacy with Russia and the former Soviet Union. Cynthia is the Founder & Director of Women Transforming Our Nuclear Legacy  & NuclearWakeUpCall.Earth.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, global, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Gabon Candidate for International Peace Ambassador

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY .

An article for CPNN by Jerry Bibang (translation by CPNN)

Gabon has officially presented its candidate for the International Peace Ambassador competition, organized by the International Organization of Young Peace Promoters (OIJPP).

The headquarters of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (Unoca) served as the setting for this ceremony, enhanced by the presence of representatives of several United Nations organizations, including UNESCO, UNFPA, UNOCA and the Coordination of the United Nations System in Gabon.
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(Click here for the original French version)

Questions for this article

Can the women of Africa lead the continent to peace?

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The International Peace Ambassador Competition is an initiative that promotes excellence in female leadership to sustain peace between peoples and around the world. Its objective is to promote the involvement of women in peace processes and national and international cohesion for the effective implementation of resolutions 1325 (women, peace and security) and 2250 (youth, peace and security) of the United Nations Security Council.

The event will bring together, next month in Niger, 24 candidates who will represent their respective countries in order to win the final crown. Each of the candidates should present and defend, in front of an international jury, a project that will positively impact women on issues of peace and security in their community.

After the preliminary phases, punctuated by training and pre-assessments of the candidates, it is Mrs. Tamara Moutotekema Boussamba, a young entrepreneur, who will represent Gabon during this pan-African meeting, dedicated to the culture of peace.

“We are seeking the support of the various actors (government, development partners, private sector) in order to help us better support the Gabonese delegation which will have to take part in this meeting. On the sidelines of the competition, there is also an international summit during which Gabonese youth should make their contribution,” explained Jerry Bibang, Permanent Secretary of the Pan-African Youth Network for the Culture of Peace (PAYNCoP).

Africa, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

UN Women Executive Director re-ignites ambition for Generation Equality by sharing her bold vision for the future at CSW66

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY .

An article from Forum Generation Equality

On 16 March, at a high-level dialogue against the backdrop of the 66th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW66), UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous gathered with Action Coalition Leaders and global Generation Equality actors to reflect on the concrete progress made since the Generation Equality Forum in Paris and to share her bold vision to ensure future success.


UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous

“It is time to look towards the future and the journey ahead of us to translate the promises of Generation Equality into implementation and impact in the lives of women and girls in all their diversity around the world. We must not lose focus and the sense of urgency and partnerships that characterized the Generation Equality Forum,” said Ms. Bahous.

“You can count on my full engagement and UN Women’s leadership and support as we march forward together,” she added, re-iterating her firm commitment to prioritize action on the key next steps of the Generation Equality journey. Ms. Bahous outlined three priorities for the way forward: accountability for existing commitments and support for implementation; generating new commitments; and continuing to promote the multistakeholder and intergenerational nature of the Generation Equality, as an example of inclusive multilateralism.

The flagship event marked the culmination of a 24-hour-long Generation Equality mobilization at CSW66, filled with over thirty events led by partners around the world. The diverse events convened under the 24-hour umbrella – including dynamic sessions on the Action Coalitions, Global Alliance for Care, and the Compact on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action as well as events on strengthening partner engagement in Generation Equality co-convened by the adolescent girl groups together with Member States and others – demonstrated that the momentum of the Generation Equality agenda continues to build globally and become increasingly rooted locally.

Building ambition for Generation Equality

For the flagship event culminating the 24-hour arc, actors who have been heavily involved throughout the Generation Equality process joined Executive Director Sima Bahous in reflecting on the vision for the future, sharing their ambition for the coming years.

Acknowledging Ms. Bahous’s commitment to supporting the continuous and meaningful engagement of young people and adolescent girls, Anika Jane Dorothy, member of the former Generation Equality Youth Task Force, emphasized that the youth will continue “to mobilize, to organize and to challenge the status quo” throughout the Generation Equality journey ahead.

Monica Aleman, Senior Programme Officer at the Ford Foundation pointed to the timeliness of Generation Equality, explaining that in the current global landscape, global engagement and cooperation on gender equality action through UN structures is critical. “We cannot do this work on our own. We have to find ways to coordinate and work with others,” Aleman emphasized.

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Questions for this article

Does the UN advance equality for women?

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“We have a long voyage ahead of us to ensure a strong and permanent change,” added Élisabeth Moreno, Minister for Gender Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunities for the Government of France. “We must continue working in a collaborative manner; only then will we achieve real progress. I strongly believe that together, we all can.”

Innovation and action

Shifting focus from the future vision to concrete progress on the ground, Action Coalition Leaders gave positive updates on the implementation of commitments made at the Generation Equality Forum in Paris.

Sofia Sprechmann Sineiro, Secretary-General of CARE International, outlined CARE’s strategy to support at least an additional 10 million women and girls to gain control over their finances and access opportunities through either creating or strengthening existing savings and loans associations. The initiative is currently being implemented across 10 African countries as a core component of CARE’s commitment as a Leader of the Action Coalition on Economic Justice and Rights.

Over 95 partners have stepped up as Leaders of the Action Coalitions and are in the process of implementing bold commitments for women and girls. Together with the Commitment Makers they have made over 2,000 commitments to drive concrete results by 2026, with 1,000 of these commitments having been made since the Forum in Paris.

Launching tools to drive accountability and progress

Ensuring transparency and mutual accountability for commitments is essential for achieving and measuring progress. The online Action Coalitions Commitments Dashboard that was unveiled at the event will play a key role in establishing this.

The Dashboard makes all commitments accessible, searchable, and visible to all. It therefore represents a key building block of the Accountability Framework that will monitor and measure progress for the next 5-years.

“If we are to truly achieve transformative change it means not only giving a seat at the table, but placing the right tools and resources in the hands of women, girls and gender-diverse people,” said Jeevika Shiv, National Youth Gender Activist for UN Women in India and MAKAAM Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch, as she outlined the progress made on the Accountability Framework to date.

The Framework is being developed collaboratively with a group of Action Coalition leaders and will be formally launched at the upcoming UN General Assembly in September.

“Onwards, together!”

The energizing dialogue highlighted the opportunities that the Generation Equality 5-year journey holds as an accelerator for fulfilling the promises of SDG-5 and the overall 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through strengthened partnerships and multilateral cooperation.

In her closing remarks, Executive Director Sima Bahous reflected on the shared sense of urgency to drive progress that clearly emerged throughout the discussion and underscored the imperative of fully leveraging the Generation Equality platform as a vehicle to do so.

Rounding off the event with a message of solidarity, Moderator Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Member of the GWL Voices for Change and Inclusion, said, “for those of you that have been part of this journey, and for all of those joining us now – onwards, together!”

global, United Nations, WOMEN'S EQUALITY,