Members of the West African Young Feminists Network are involved in preparations for the Generation Equality Forum. They have put forward seven recommendations to promote youth leadership and intergenerational activism. Equipop, which is supporting them in these efforts, reviews the main points raised during the last two discussions organized by UN Women.
As part of the preparations for the Generation Equality Forum, which will take place in June 2021 in Paris, UN Women is organizing online thematic discussions. The Young Feminists Network of West Africa is actively engaged in making the voices of West African and French-speaking feminists heard in the preparations for the Generation Equality Forum. In this way, they are contributing to the formulation of commitments that will bring about the political and societal changes necessary to achieve gender equality.
During the final discussion, on the theme of "Intergenerational activism and youth leadership," Irmine Ayihounton, Awa Camara, Néné Fatou Maricou, Antoine Fasso Loua, Cornélia Nakponsè Glele-Aboucha, Zipporah Ndione, and Oumou Salif Touré made recommendations for a more inclusive Forum for young people around the world, greater impact, and more tailored responses to the needs of young people.
These West African activists are involved in organizations campaigning for sexual and reproductive rights and health in several countries in the sub-region (Benin, Guinea, Mali, Senegal) and are strong leaders on these issues. This involvement in international forums, where West African voices are often marginalized or even invisible, is crucial to the future of the Generation Equality Forum process.
7 recommendations for truly including young feminists in a holistic approach
When it comes to including young feminists and promoting intergenerational dialogue, the Generation Equality Forum must both set an example of good practice and issue a call to action. With this in mind, young feminists in West Africa have concrete recommendations that should be applied to the Generation Equality Forum and, beyond that, to all institutions involved in the process.
- It is essential that governments have a dedicated youth budget and that access for young people is facilitated. Members of the West African Young Feminists Network are calling for the Generation Equality Forum to contribute to the creation of specific budget lines dedicated to youth. This objective must appear in the blueprints of the action coalitions.
- The issue of young people is rarely taken into account at the governmental level. Members of the West African Young Feminists Network are calling on governments to prioritize youth leadership. Youth leadership must be across-cutting issue in all Generation Equality Forum action coalitions.
- It is necessary to systematically implement youth quotas in all decision-making bodies projects, programs, and international conferences such as the Generation Equality Forum.
- These quotas must not be limited to a mere token gesture. In decision-making bodies, the expertise of young people must be recognized and taken into account. The Generation Equality Forum must integrate young people at all levels where decisions are made.
- In order to be truly active at all levels, young people must have access to technical and financial resources, and capacity building. In the Generation Equality Forum's action coalitions, this is a cross-cutting issue that needs to be addressed, particularly in the budgeting of actions.
- Members of the Young Feminists Network emphasize the need tosupport for young feminist organizations around the world, so that they can structure themselves and formalize strategic plans.
- The members of the Young Feminists Network recommend increasing the number of national, regional, and international spaces where intergenerational exchange can take place. All stakeholders should be considered equal and knowledgeable. It is not only young people who learn from older generations; the reverse is equally important. The Generation Equality Forum should be one such space for mutual learning, respecting the skills and experiences of all generations.
Mobilizing the voices of young French-speaking feminists
Implementing these recommendations in the coming months, during the Generation Equality Forum and beyond, will be a crucial step toward a real paradigm shift in youth feminist leadership.
During discussions organized by UN Women, Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka insisted: "We must complete the work of the Beijing Declaration, and to do so we need to make a significant investment in young feminists, who are already working to achieve true gender equality." Mary Robinson, former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Ireland's first female president in 1990, pointed out that in a context where the Covid crisis has exacerbated gender inequalities, advocacy efforts should be built around intergenerational dialogue with a view to respectful partnership at all levels. This is what the Young Feminists of West Africa are also calling for today.
The participation of members of the Young Feminists Network in these international exchanges was the first step in actively mobilizing for the Generation Equality Forum. The goal for the Young Feminists Network of West Africa is to ensure that French-speaking voices are represented at this key moment for women's and girls' rights at the international level.
