As a board member of the Generation Equality Compact on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action (WPS-HA), ACCORD was invited to attend the Generation Equality Paris Forum From 30 June to 2 July 2021. Hosted virtually, the three-day event brought together an estimated 50,000 people to reinvigorate action and movements for gender equality.
The goal of the Generation Equality Paris Forum is to generate action for the rapid advancement of gender justice. The Forum lead to the launch of a Global Acceleration Plan for Gender Equality designed by six action coalitions – multi-stakeholder partnerships that have identified the most critical actions required to achieve gender equality in areas from gender-based violence and technology to economic and climate justice.
The Forum was also an opportunity to officially launch the Compact on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action, and garner support and signatories for the Compact.
ACCORD was represented by Ms Pravina Makan-Lakha, Advisor on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), Ms Molly Hamilton, WPS Programme Officer, and Ms. Kundai Mtasa, Programme Officer, at the launch of the WPS-HA Compact on 2 July 2021.
Also in attendance, was Mme Graça Machel, Co-founder and Deputy Chair of the Elders, Chair of ACCORD’s Board of Trustees, who shared opening remarks with participants. Mme Machel stressed the need to help women and girls recognize their inner strength and build it up. During her opening remarks, she shared the “Need to look at those affected by conflict in a different way and help them rebuild themselves, their families and their communities”.
The session included voices from other signatories of the Compact, including; Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway; Gillian Triggs, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Assistant High Commissioner for Protection at UNHCR; Bineta Diop, African Union Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security; Olfat Mahmoud, Steering Committee member of the Feminist Humanitarian Network and General Director of the Palestinian Women’s Humanitarian Organisation; Mavic Cabrera-Balleza, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders; Samantha Power, Administrator, United States Agency for International Development; Helga Maria Schmid, Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe; Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN Under- Secretary-General for Peace Operations; Julius Maada Bio, President of Sierra Leon; Our Generation for Inclusive Peace, Dorina Prech, Maya Ungar, Mohammed Fobio, Isabella Caravaggio, Florence Waller-Carr; Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Development of the United Arab Emirates; Simon Coveney, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Ireland; Diago Ndiaye, President of Réseau Paix et Sécurité pour les Femmes de l’Espace CEDEAO; Eva-Maria Liimets, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia; Morina Muuondjo, Acting Director of the International Women’s Peace Centre, Namibia; and Zahra’ Langhi, Co-founder and CEO of the Libyan Women’s Platform for Peace.
The three-day event concluded with renewed commitments to gender equality, including:
- USD 21 Billion in gender equality investments committed by governments and public sector
- USD 13 Billion committed by the private sector;
- USD 4.5 Billion committed by Philanthropy; and
- USD 1.3 Billion committed by UN entities, international and regional organizations
