The Generation Equality Forum, held in 2021, has kickstarted a 5-year journey to accelerate ambitious action and implementation on global gender equality. The Forum, convened by UN Women and co-chaired by the governments of France and Mexico in partnership with civil society and youth, took place in Mexico City from 29 - 31 March 2021 and in Paris from 30 June - 2 July 2021. The Forum generated $40 billion in financial commitments, as well as multiple policy and program commitments. The Forum’s ambitious action agenda will be driven by multi-stakeholder Action Coalitions, who together developed a Global Acceleration Plan to advance gender equality.
This ambitious effort to achieve a global inflection point on gender equality recognized the fact that over twenty-five years after the historic Fourth World Conference on Women and the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, implementation of gender equality has been slow. The Forum brought together global leaders to drive concrete actions to accelerate progress.
The Forum reaffirmed the value of multilateralism and brought together the leadership and participation of various stakeholders - civil society, governments, youth-led organizations, the private sector, international organizations, cities, trade unions, media and more - focusing on intergenerational and multi-stakeholder partnerships.
Forum Outcomes
The Forum launched a 5-year action journey to achieve irreversible progress towards gender equality, founded on a series of concrete, ambitious and transformative actions, including USD 40 Billion in financial commitments. Read more about the outcomes of the Paris Forum here.
The Generation Equality Forum also fuelled a powerful and lasting coalition for gender equality to ensure action and accountability. It presented a vital moment for activists, feminists, youth and allies to ensure that gender is at the center of the post-COVID agenda and to achieve transformative change for generations to come.
The Forum’s ambitions will be carried forward over the next five years through a bold feminist agenda and the work of a set of ‘Action Coalitions’, as well as a Compact on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action.
The result: tangible progress towards gender equality during the UN Decade of Action (2020-2030) to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals.
Action Coalitions are global, innovative, multi-stakeholder partnerships that are mobilizing governments, civil society, international organizations, and the private sector to:
- catalyze collective action,
- spark global and local conversations among generations,
- drive increased public & private investment,
- deliver concrete, game-changing results.
Based on human rights principles, and through a data-driven process of consultation with international feminist groups, grassroots activist organizations, governments and other partners, the selected themes of the Generation Equality Action Coalitions are:
- Gender-Based Violence
- Economic justice and rights
- Bodily autonomy and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)
- Feminist action for climate justice
- Technology and innovation for Gender Equality
- Feminist movements and leadership
The Forum’s 5-year action journey is built around a Global Acceleration Plan - a global road map for gender equality that aims to fulfil the promise of the Beijing Platform for Action and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
Leadership and Governance
The Generation Equality Forum was convened by UN Women and co-hosted by the Governments of France and Mexico in close partnership with civil society and youth. The decision-making Core Group spearheaded the planning, agenda-setting and execution of the Forum and its outcomes had representation from each of these five key constituencies. Governance of the Forum was also supported by a Civil Society Advisory Group, the Youth Taskforce and a Multi-Stakeholder Steering Committee. You can learn more by visiting their pages.