A missed opportunity to take ambitious financial actions on women’s and girls’ rights
The G7 countries' finance ministers and several governors of multilateral financial institutions met on July 17 and 18 in Chantilly. It was the last ministerial meeting before the Biarritz Summit, and a key opportunity to announce ambitious funding for women's and girls' rights. Today, it does not add up and one question remains: where is the funding for feminist public policies? Without significant increases in budgets for women's and girls' rights at the national and international levels, the feminist position defended by ministers Jean-Yves Le Drian and Marlène Schiappa will remain an empty promise.
Insufficient funding for truly feminist public policies
The French Presidency must prove that the fight against inequality is not just a catchphrase. It is time for France to convince its G7 partners to put money on the table for feminist associations, otherwise this G7 will be a failure. The Women 7 calls on G7 countries to fund gender-responsive ambitious public policies and increase funding allocated to feminist associations around the world. France took a first step with the announcement of the creation of a €120 million fund for feminist associations in southern countries. The modalities still need to be clarified, in collaboration with associations. Additional financial efforts are expected at the national level, as French feminist associations continue to ask for an increased budget allocated to the fight against domestic violence.
Regarding official development assistance, we regret that the final G7 Finance statement does not mention the importance of promoting and adopting feminist official development assistance (ODA), a flagship request of the W7. At present, close to 54% of G7 countries' ODA is totally blind to gender equality issues. It is necessary that G7 countries commit to adopting feminist ODA, a logical extension of the feminist diplomacy supported by France and Canada.
French support for women's digital financial inclusion
The Women 7 is pleased that women’s economic empowerment was at the ministerial negotiation table, through the presentation of Bill and Melinda Gates foundation initiative on women’s digital financial inclusion in Africa. We now call on other G7 countries to contribute to this new mechanism and to multiply initiatives in favor of gender equality in every area. These initiatives will follow the right path if they allow women to escape poverty and to fully exercise their rights.
Last stop, Biarritz
The Women 7, in its recommendations for the Finance Ministerial meeting, asks G7 countries to commit to allocating US$1.4 billion to gender equality. For now, ambitious financial commitments are still expected. Initiatives and deliverables driven by France and G7 countries on gender equality will only be concrete if they are financed in relevant ways. With just one month to go before the leaders' summit, we are now waiting for concrete evidence of G7 countries' commitment to women's and girls' rights, including financial commitment.
The 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 tangible and lasting impact on the lives of women and girls around the world.
