Last weekend, the G7 countries made statements of principle on gender equality, but no funding was announced. The Generation Equality Forum is the last chance for countries to take responsibility. With two weeks to go before the Forum in Paris, the campaign that Equipop is contributing to, #StopTalkingStartFunding, is more relevant than ever. From June 11 to 13, the 47th G7 summit was held, hosted by Boris Johnson in the United Kingdom. The G7 countries reaffirmed their commitment to advancing gender equality through three priority actions: girls' education, women's empowerment, and the ambition to end violence against girls and women. Despite strong statements* on this third priority of ending violence, the heads of state left Carbis Bay without announcing any financial commitments. This means that, as things stand, words will not be followed by action. This G7 summit was therefore a missed opportunity, even as the United Kingdom announced £4 billion in development aid cuts in 2021, which are likely to impact more than 20 million women and girls worldwide. In two weeks, France will host the Generation Equality Forum. Several G7 countries are involved as "champions" and "commitment holders" of the Forum's various action coalitions. June 30 is therefore the deadline for countries, particularly those in the G7, to step up their efforts to combat violence. For weeks, we have been preparing a 24-hour "Feminist World Tour" to call on the countries participating in the Generation Equality Forum as part of the global #StopTalkingStartFunding campaign. We believe that, at a minimum, each country should devote 0.1% of its GDP to combating gender-based violence. We call on all citizens to join the online mobilization on June 23 and 24 (registration: https://formdivers.typeform.com/to/yImMmtMD).
