The Generation Equality Forum took place in Mexico City from 29 to 31 March 2021 with over 13,000 participants, 46% of whom were under the age of 34.
The Forum in Mexico reinforced the power and voice of feminist movements and youth drawing on the multi-stakeholder leadership of Governments, civil society, youth groups, private sector and international organizations. You can access the main session recordings on https://forum.generationequality.org/
The main outcomes of the Forum included:
-Unveiling the Action Coalitions’ Global Acceleration Plan, which comprises the catalytic actions they recommend to advance gender equality
-The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s announcement of investments to youth-led organizations to support inter-generational voices shaping the gender equality agenda
-The launch of a 2026 vision and a common feminist pathway from youth and civil society leaders
-Announcement of catalytic commitments for gender equality, like
the Alliance for Care Work, in a bold effort to confront the care burden that impedes women’s economic opportunity, which has risen due to the pandemic.
Women Moving Millions made a commitment to raise USD 100 Million by the Forum in Paris to support the Action Coalition agenda and Ford Foundation, the Equality Fund and the Government of Canada announced their USD 15 Million commitment to initiate a multistakeholder Global Alliance for Sustainable Feminist Movements.
-The launch of “Group of Friends of Gender Equality” by the Government of Mexico, which includes 20 Member States that have committed to coordinate efforts and promote actions on different multilateral fora in favor of gender equality.
Young Feminist Manifesto:
A few days before the Forum , a Young Feminist Manifesto was launched. Racha Haffar, member of the Generation Equality Youth Task Force, explained the rationale behind the Manifesto: “As a member of the Generation Equality Youth Task Force, like my peers, I came to the space full of hope believing that this is going to be the process and the turning point in history where youth tokenism would come to an end and youth leadership would finally be given the space to be effective and meaningful. However, that hasn't been the case, and shortly after we joined we realized that the embedded power imbalances and structural barriers remain as a wall keeping us from reaching that goal. So, we had to persevere and decided to take things into our hands and lead the transformation we need. That's why all the different GEF youth groups came together in a collaborative effort and produced the Young Feminist Manifesto - to offer a young, intersectional feminist vision for the process and its Action Coalitions, as well as some concrete recommendations to positively impact it and make it truly feminist, transformative, and intersectional for all. We are very optimistic about the positive transformation this process promises and we pledge to continue to support one another and all other stakeholders to ensure meaningful youth and adolescent engagement and leadership is visible, respected, and meets the bold vision of the process.”
UN Women welcomed the Young Feminist Manifesto and its important recommendations about how to improve the leadership and participation of young people engaged in the Generation Equality Forum, thanking everyone involved – including the Youth Task Force, the Action Coalition Youth leads and National Gender Youth Activists – for their collective work. UN Women responded reiterating its commitment to learning, responding and being accountable to the critical issues they have raised.
The Africa Young Women Beijing+25 Manifesto was also discussed during the Forum. The Manifesto was the result of a grassroots approach of Five Regional Barazas convened by the African Union Office of the Youth Envoy with over 30 partners brought together over 1500 young people from across 44 African countries co-creating 10 demands. You can read it here. UN Women also welcomed the release of this Manifesto and the importance of amplifying African Young Women's voices in the discussion.
Act For Equal and Generation Equality Film Festival:
Join the conversation on the collaborative Public Conversation Platform to connect with people in conversations around the Forum. And to spread the message, sharing the #ActForEqual and #GenerationEquality social media assets and messages to raise awareness around the Forum. Remember to use #GenerationEquality and #ActForEqual to make your voice heard.
The Forum in Mexico also featured the Generation Equality Film Festival, an opportunity for young filmmakers 30 years old and younger to showcase their powerful work and open a discussion on why it is critical to end all harmful practices, including female genital mutilation, and to fight against stereotypes and social norms. The Film Festival had a high-level jury composed of renowned filmmakers, actresses and members of the film industry who reviewed the 10 finalists and selected three winners plus a special mention. You can watch the films here: