INVESTING IN THE WOMEN CHANGING THE WORLD

Text reads: “5 Gender Equality”. Red-orange square with symbol of male and female sign with an equal symbol in the center.

WHAT’S THE CHALLENGE?

At the core of every problem we’re trying to solve, from poverty to disease, are the undervalued but powerful lives of women and girls. We can’t achieve progress if half the world’s population continues to be left behind, and their potential and talent continues to go untapped. One of the most impactful ways to accelerate progress towards the Global Goals—particularly Goal 5, to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women—is to invest in women’s and girl’s movements. Yet, grassroots women’s organizations and movements are severely underfunded and under threat.

WHAT’S THE OPPORTUNITY?

Inch by inch, local women’s organizations are reducing inequality and increasing opportunity in their communities and countries. They know first-hand the barriers holding women and girls back, and they’re on the front lines of fighting them. When women unite together to form movements, they drive real, lasting change. This is how equality happens. We can accelerate progress on gender equality by starting local, giving women and girls the tools and resources they need to effectively overcome challenges in their own communities.

ACCELERATOR COMMITMENTS:

  • Provide critical funding to individuals, organizations, campaigning platforms, and women’s funds.
  • Bring together partners to support and strengthen women’s rights groups and movements by providing technical capacity building, communications tools, and other resources to realize their vision, and to encourage others to join in this work.
  • Help make these women’s voices heard through The Points Guy, providing 5 million air miles to help enable women campaign and advocate globally.

PROGRESS ACHIEVED TO DATE:

  • In 2018, Canada issued a call to action to establish a first of its kind global partnership for gender equality, seeking to mobilize unprecedented levels of resources to create a sustainable and predictable source of funding for women’s organizations and movements in developing countries. In 2019, Canada announced it would support the Equality Fund initiative with an historic contribution of $300 million to build this innovative partnership, bringing together donors across public and private sectors into a single platform to leverage more than $1 billion working for gender equality. Canada has also invested $150 million in its Women’s Voice and Leadership (WVL) program through 2023, which supports the capacity, programming and advocacy efforts of women’s rights organizations (WROs) in 31 countries and regions. Through its innovative granting mechanisms, hundreds of WROs are reaching the most marginalised women and girls with health, economic, and social services, and are advocating for women’s and girls’ rights in the COVID-19 context.
  • The Netherlands increased their support for the Leading from the South initiative, which helps boost women's organizations in the Global South southern countries – providing EUR 80M for 2021-2025. Building on their Funding for Leadership and Opportunities for Women framework (FLOW-II), the government has also committed EUR 75M for Power of Women (2021-2025), which will exclusively support women’s rights organizations. Lastly, the Netherlands selected four strategic partnerships solely focused on women’s rights and gender equality under its overarching Power of Voices framework to strengthen civil society. In addition to the four strategic partnerships, The Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action (GAGGA) – at the intersection of environmental justice and women’s rights – will continue to be supported under this framework. The total amount for these strategic partnerships is EUR 150.5M for 2021-2025.
  • EdelGive Foundation has worked with civil society organizations to strengthen their gender-based work and drive action in India. With 15 grassroots partners, spread across 11 states, EdelGive has invested $12 million to advance gender equality (social and economic) across a number of priority areas; including freedom from violence and discrimination, access to legal justice, developing women’s grassroots leadership, access to rights and entitlements and bringing economic independence to women, among others.
  • The Points Guy (TPG) has fulfilled their commitment to provide five million miles to help enable women to campaign and advocate globally. In 2019, TPG used its points, miles and travel prowess to fly several activists to the first African Summit on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Child Marriage in Senegal, to help ensure the right people were at the table to plan a world free from FGM and child marriage. You can view more on the story here.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

HELP WOMEN’S MOVEMENTS

There are many ways to help women’s movements, from making your own donation, backing a campaign online, or offering other kinds of pro-bono contributions, from digital training to communications support. To learn more about the 38 women’s funds around the world—operating nationally, regionally, and globally—and to see what you can do to support them, visit the Prospera Network: http://www.prospera-inwf.org