Generation Equality Forums

The Generation Equality Forums are civil society-centred, global multi-stakeholder gatherings for gender equality, convened by UN Women and co-hosted by the governments of Mexico and France. UN Women has announced six “Action Coalitions” and a Compact to set concrete, ambitious and transformative actions to achieve transformative progress for gender equality.  

Once finalised, there will be 5 years to achieve these ambitions actions. The first Mexico Forum took place virtually from March 29th until March 31st 2020. At this first Forum, the Action Coalition leaders have finetuned the draft blueprints for five years of transformative action to achieve gender equality . The Paris Forum, from June 30 until July 2, 2020, was the official launch of the Action Coalitions. Governments, civil society and all other stakeholders will then present their commitments to take action.

Action Coalitions and Compact

  1. Action Coalition on Gender-Based Violence
  2. Action Coalition on Economic justice and rights
  3. Action Coalition on Bodily autonomy and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)
  4. Action Coalition on Feminist action for climate justice
  5. Action Coalition on Technology and innovation for Gender Equality
  6. Action Coalition on Feminist movements and leadership
  7. Compact on Women, Peace & Security and Humanitarian Action

Background and history

The Generation Equality Forums build on the historic Beijing Platform for Action, one of the strongest commitments to women’s human rights and a sustainable, just and peaceful world. In 1995 17,000 delegates and 30,000 activists from across the globe attended the fourth World Women’s Conference in Beijing. As one of the first big projects of our organisation we organised a delegation of women to attend the civil society forum in Beijing ahead of the conference. They brought up the intersectional dimension between gender and the environment at the Forum in 1995. We continue to do so until this day. The Generation Equality Forums of 2021 give us an excellent opportunity to make sure that our post-COVID world will not have thrown us decades back in time, but that the recovery will lead to a gender-just transformation of our economies and societies.

WECF's role

Our Executive Director Sascha Gabizon is a member of the Civil Society Advisory Group (CSAG). The Civil Society Advisory Group supports the decision-making of the Core Group, ensuring that civil society’s priorities are reflected in the Forum’s outcomes.

Role of WECF's partners

Climate Justice
1. ALGA Climate justice
2. Women and Gender Constituency/ WEDO Climate Justice

Economic justice
1. FEMNET
2. ITUC

Feminist Movement-Building
1. Young Feminist Europe
2. Euro Central Asian Lesbian* Conference

GBV 

Bodily Autonomy and SRHR
1. ARROW

Tech and innovation
1. Global fund for Women

Compact for WPS
1. WO=MEN
2. Sharron Bhagwan Rolls

Youth Task Force
1. Ilayda Eskitaşcioğlu

Past and upcoming activities

  • March 29-31, 2020: Generation Equality Forum Mexico
  • June 30-2, 2020: Generation Equality Forum Paris
  • 9th June 2021: Western Balkan Consultation We helped to organise a self-selection committee from the Western Balkan countries, who then selected attendees to ensure a diversity of representation by area of work, sub-region, age, area etc. This meeting focused on methods of working between women’s civil society organisations in the Western Balkans and UN Women. The meeting was attended by regional director Alia El-Yassir, and the dialogue was focused on funding and strategic partnerships, with UN Women listening to WCSOs key asks for the region.
  • 22 November 2021: On the UN Women Regional Strategic Note for 2022-2025, priorities for the region and dialogue with the UN Women Executive DirectorWe again assisted with the facilitation of a self-selectin committee, with a particular focus on civil society and youth representatives to ensure their voices were heard at this meeting. The first part of the meeting was a presentation and discussion around UN Women’s Regional Strategic Note for 2022-2025, and feedback from attendees which UN Women could then incorporate into the regional strategic note. Following a short break, we were joined by the new executive director of UN Women Simi Sami Bahous who was listening to the variety of voices from the region in her first 100 days as executive director.