At the beginning of a UN forum in Paris on Wednesday, countries, international organizations, charitable institutions, and private companies pledged to provide new investments worth $40 billion to enhance women's rights, gender equality, and to combat "conservative and patriarchal forces" that threaten women's achievements worldwide. The UN Women agency, which organized the "Generation Equality Forum," announced in a statement that this amount includes $17 billion pledged by countries, about $10 billion promised by the World Bank, and $2.1 billion committed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The statement clarified that the Ford Foundation would provide $420 million, particularly to fund programs to combat "gender-based violence."
The forum commenced both in person and online and will continue until Friday; it is the most important conference on gender equality since the Beijing Summit in 1995. The conference aims to achieve "concrete commitments" from countries, as well as from civil society organizations and charitable institutions. The conference is expected to lead to the establishment of a "Global Acceleration Plan" addressing various topics such as violence against women, bodily rights, and economic equality. Each of these topics will examine "working alliances" that include countries, international organizations, civil society groups, and the private sector to create a "roadmap" assessed every five years.
French President Emmanuel Macron and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed their concerns at the beginning of the forum regarding the impact of "conservative and patriarchal forces" threatening women's rights worldwide. Guterres stated that defenders of women's rights must engage in an "ideological battle against the conservative forces growing around the world that challenge the achievements of the Beijing Conference," referring to the previous UN conference on the topic 26 years ago. Macron condemned "unfavorable winds sweeping through many societies as patriarchal forces seek to reclaim power in conservative atmospheres, threatening decades of gains." He added, "To the women who simply want to have the freedom to drive, or just not wear the hijab, or to have the option of abortion, we are here to say that their fight is our fight."
In a video address, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris stated, "To defend democracy, we must fight for equality between women and men." Many emphasized that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted women, contributing to a decline in their rights due to girls not attending school or an increase in the number of women facing poverty or domestic violence during lockdowns.
