On July 4 and 5, the ministers of education and development of the G7 countries met in Paris. Women's and girls' rights were mainstreamed in the communiqués, but the Women 7 expected more concrete commitments, particularly in favor of feminist official development assistance. France, which ranks among the worst performers in the G7 in terms of integrating gender equality into its development policy, still has work to do, particularly in terms of funding.
Ministerial Development, July 4
The Development Ministerial placed the Sahel region at the center of these discussions, resulting in several communiqués from the G7 countries on financing sustainable development, combating fragility, and finally a joint communiqué between the G7 and G5 Sahel countries.
In general, the various commitments made by the G7 and G5 Sahel countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Chad) are not accompanied by any quantified targets or deadlines. Without monitoring indicators, Women 7 fears that these commitments will remain mere promises. Women 7 also hoped that this ministerial meeting would enable progress to be made on two key issues: firstly, better integration of women's and girls' rights within the Sahel Alliance, promoted by France through the G7. Secondly, the promotion of feminist official development assistance, significantly increasing the funding allocated to women's and girls' rights. On these two specific points, concrete commitments are still pending.
Joint Ministerial Meeting on Education & Development, July 5
Women 7 welcomes the priority given by the Joint Ministerial Meeting on Education and Development to gender equality in education, as well as the importance attached to technical and vocational education and training in sub-Saharan African countries, particularly the Sahel, in order to better combat inequalities.
We also welcome the unprecedented format of this ministerial meeting in two respects: the invitation of ministers from the G5 Sahel and Senegal on the one hand, and the presence of six young delegates from these countries on the other. The latter shared the results of a consultation conducted with 657 young leaders from West and Central Africa. This consultation focused on equal access to school for girls and boys, school as a place for promoting gender equality, and the quality of technical and vocational training as a lever for the socio-economic integration of young people.
The W7 welcomes the creation of the "Priority to Equality" initiative endorsed by the G7 and G5 Sahel education ministers, which promotes sectoral planning for education that transforms social gender relations. With a budget of around €5 million (still to be confirmed), this initiative will provide support, particularly to Sahel countries that wish to do so, to ensure that their sectoral education plans integrate gender in a cross-cutting manner. Civil society, which supports this initiative on the ground, was not sufficiently involved in the early stages of the initiative. If the intention is truly to have a concrete impact on unequal gender relations, it is imperative that local feminist organizations and associations be involved in the implementation phase.
Furthermore, Women 7 regrets the failure to take comprehensive sexuality education into account. As a powerful tool for empowerment, emancipation, the promotion of equality, and the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence, comprehensive sexuality education must be at the heart of states' development and education policies.
Civil society expects greater financial commitments from G7 leaders at the Biarritz summit on August 24-26, starting with the allocation of 15% of ODA and 4% of humanitarian aid to the education sector, with a priority on free, high-quality learning that transforms gender relations.
W7 (Women 7) brings together feminist organizations from G7 countries and around the world. Its main mission is to ensure that G7 countries make both financial and political commitments in 2019 and beyond that will have a concrete and lasting impact on the lives of women and girls around the world.
