UNWomen | New York

The Generation Equality Forum—a global gathering for gender equality, convened by UN Women and co-hosted by the governments of Mexico and France in partnership with civil society— announced the leaders of the Generation Equality Action Coalitions, to achieve gender equality and all women’s and girls’ human rights. The Action Coalitions will deliver concrete and transformative change for women and girls around the world in the coming five years. They will focus on six themes  that are critical for achieving gender equality: gender-based violence, economic justice and rights, bodily autonomy and sexual and reproductive health and rights, feminist action for climate justice, technology and innovation for gender equality, and feminist movements and leadership. 

The 65 initial leaders of the Action Coalitions represent Member States, diverse feminist and women’s rights organizations, youth-led organizations, philanthropic entities, UN agencies and other international organizations (full list here). The Action Coalitions’ leaders bring deep commitment to and experience in advancing gender equality and women’s human rights and reflect the different experiences and identities of women and girls from around the world.  Adolescent girls and young women will be at the heart of each Action Coalition’s work.

The Action Coalitions’ leaders were selected by the Generation Equality Forum Core Group, which includes France, Mexico, Civil Society and UN Women. Five criteria were followed to select the leaders, including evidence of leaders’ commitment and past record of achievement in the respective Action Coalitions’ themes.

The Action Coalitions are one of the key outcomes of the Generation Equality Forum that will kick off in Mexico City, Mexico, and culminate in Paris, France, in the first half of 2021. The Generation Equality Forum, accelerated by the Action Coalitions, will mobilize urgent action to make irreversible progress towards gender equality and women’s and girls’ human rights globally.

This announcement comes as the world responds to the impacts of COVID-19, which is exacerbating gender and other inequalities and disproportionately affecting women and girls in all countries. In this context of the pandemic, the Generation Equality Forum and Action Coalitions are important and urgently needed to get through this pandemic, to recover faster, and build a more just, inclusive, and equitable future for everyone.

Global Leaders of the Generation Equality Action Coalitions to accelerate gender equality Official announcement – click here. 

~ UN Women | GEFcommunications[at]unwomen.org