2021 is a key year for equality: France will host the Generation Equality Forum (GEF) in June. Civil society is already mobilizing. Today , Equipop is publishing Activists, a short guide to making your voice heard, produced in partnership with the Network of Young Feminists of West Africa. Young activists from eight countries share their expertise on implementing feminist mobilization actions around the world.
[#FeministGenerations] Around the world, young activists are mobilizing ahead of the FGE to make their voices heard on what needs to change in our societies. They are also sharing their visions of the transformative actions that need to be taken to build egalitarian societies."For the Generation Equality Forum to truly be a political event capable of renewing our frameworks of thought and action, it must absolutely be built with young people, in all their diversity,"says Aurélie Gal-Régniez, executive director of Equipop.
While mobilization has begun around the world, two obstacles have emerged: French-speaking voices, particularly those from regions such as West Africa, are often overlooked in international processes; and the digital format risks excluding grassroots activists from the discussions.
A guide to activism
To overcome these obstacles, Equipop and activists from eight countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal), members of the West African Young Feminists Network, have jointly developed an activism guide that is being released today (downloadable in PDF format, 1.8 MB). "This guide is a fun, accessible, and educational tool that helps turn ideas into action," according to Carine Alexia Hountondji from Benin. It provides advice on how to advocate for commitments to women's rights and gender equality to be implemented, resourced, and monitored by citizens at the international, national, and local levels.
Press contacts
- Ouagadougou, Priscille Banse, +226 61 20 99 97, priscille.banse@equipop.org
- Paris, Louis Guinamard, +33 6 25 83 95 23, louis.guinamard@equipop.org
We can put you in touch with the feminists who created this Guide and are actively involved in local equality issues.
The Generation Equality Forum is a global gathering for gender equality. Organized by UN Women, it is co-chaired by France and Mexico. After kicking off in Mexico City, the Forum will culminate in Paris in June 2021. It aims to develop concrete actions to achieve gender equality goals. Equipop is involved in coordinating the Collectif Générations féministes (Feminist Generations Collective), which brings together feminist civil society organizations in France in preparation for the FGE, and supports the participation of associations and activists from West Africa in this event.
