Seizing the opportunity presented by France's presidency of the G7, Equipop stepped up its advocacy for the integration of gender equality into public policy. The association helped to bring together various feminist movements through the "Women 7" initiative, which brings together activists from France, other G7 countries, and West Africa. The highlight of this mobilization was the W7 summit, held in Paris on May 9, 2019, which brought together 400 participants from around the world.
France holds the presidency of the G7 from January 1 to December 31, 2019. For Equipop, this prospect has been an opportunity for advocacy since the summer of 2018, which was then accompanied by the launch of a communication campaign. At the same time, the aim is to help structure feminist networks that are currently unable to work together.
Advocacy objectives: the G7 and beyond
Before summer 2018, the priority was to make gender equality a priority for the upcoming French presidency of the G7. Equipop, in collaboration with CARE France, therefore launched a campaign in France, starting with a morning of discussions at the National Assembly in October. The aim was to bring together development NGOs, which have an international focus, and feminist associations working in France. In January, France announced a G7 dedicated to the fight against inequality, with gender inequality being highlighted as a priority. With the first objective achieved, the second stage could begin: conducting consistent advocacy to ensure that this political statement leads to concrete commitments. Equipop therefore actively contributed to the dialogue with the authorities on each theme addressed by the G7 (health, development, education, foreign affairs, etc.) in the context of the so-called ministerial meetings, intended to prepare for the summit of heads of state in August 2019 in Biarritz.
However, this approach does not stop at the G7. The French presidency is seen more as a longer-term opportunity to contribute to the emergence of feminist public policies. As such, numerous international events have been organized with the same aim in mind: the Women Deliver conference in Vancouver in June 2019, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria replenishment conference in Lyon in October, and the Nairobi Summit to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development, ahead of which Equipop was created.
A feminist communication campaign
In spring 2019, a campaign was launched in French and English, based on the website www.feministscount.org and the social media accounts "Women 7 official." This initiative raises awareness on a larger scale about issues related to gender equality, but also makes advocacy messages more visible at key moments in the 2019 G7 decision-making process. Finally, the dissemination of the campaign's messages by each W7 member association also aimed to show the diversity of actions carried out by feminist movements in France and around the world.
This campaign also shows that, despite this diversity, which is undoubtedly a source of richness but could blur the advocacy approach towards public authorities, W7 member associations have been able to unite around two common demands: increased funding for feminist associations and the full and effective participation of women and girls in decision-making bodies.
West Africa at the negotiating table
Throughout the year, Equipop worked to facilitate the participation of young feminist activists from West Africa in all of these processes. The first step was a speech by Hadja Idrissa Bah, founder and president of the Club des jeunes filles leaders de Guinée (Guinea Young Women Leaders Club), to the G7 sherpas in Lyon in February.
“In Guinea and throughout French-speaking West Africa, young feminist girls like me, victims of all this violence, are raising their voices. We are on the front line of the fight for girls' rights; we are the first to be affected. But our ambition is too great to fight this battle alone. It's not just about us, it's also about you, and the society in which we want to live."
Hadja Idrissa Bah in front of the sherpas in Lyon, February 5, 2019
The success of the W7 Summit in Paris
The Women 7 summit was the highlight of these mobilizations. Held on May 9, 2019, the event brought together more than 400 representatives of feminist civil society from G7 countries and developing countries at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The day of discussions highlighted the challenges that need to be addressed as a priority and received significant media coverage. Finally, and most importantly, the day ended with two key discussions: one with the members of the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council, a prestigious group, and the other with the G7 ministers for gender equality, who received the W7's official recommendations for a truly feminist G7 from some fifteen feminists from a dozen countries. The work will continue beyond 2019!
