Countdown begins towards the Generation Equality Forum

The Generation Equality Forum – a milestone event for global action and investment in gender equality – will take place virtually and in Paris France 30 June – 2 July 2021. With over 22,000 participants already registered from all sectors of society, excitement is building.

World leaders including French and Mexican Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Andrés Manuel López Obrador; Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau; President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta; President of Argentina Alberto Fernández; Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, Tunisia President Kaïs Saïed and United States Vice President Kamala Harris will take part in the event, along with co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Melinda Gates, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad, the President of Ford Foundation Darren Walker and the Executive Director of the Global Partnership for Education Alice P. Albright.

Hillary Clinton, whose speech declaring that “women’s rights are human rights” was an iconic moment in 1995 at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, is also scheduled to attend and speak. She will join dynamic speakers from feminist and youth movements, civil society, philanthropy, governments and the private sector – all to be announced in coming days.

Organizations and members of the public can take part in the Forum in two important ways:

• Register to attend the Forum. Registration for the virtual Forum is free.
• Make a commitment. Organizations can submit commitments for investment and action on gender equality to become part of this important moment for re-energized action on gender equality. The deadline to make a commitment is 22 June.

The Forum is convened by UN Women and co-hosted by the Governments of Mexico and France, in partnership with youth and civil society. It takes place at a critical moment. As the impacts of COVID-19 threaten to roll back existing gains for women’s rights, it will put gender equality at the heart of the building back better agenda. The Paris Forum will unveil a Global Acceleration Plan for Gender Equality, formally launch six Action Coalitions and a Compact on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action, and announce new equality initiatives focused on health, sport, culture and education. The event will fuel investment and action for gender equality, strengthen global movements, and ensure implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.