This week, the G7 gender ministerial will be held in Paris. It will be preceded by the civil society event W7 (Women7) and the publication of the recommendations of the Gender Equality Advisory Committee, a consultative G7 body.

Friederike Röder, ONE’s EU and France director, calls on ministers to be bold:

“When they meet this week, Gender Ministers have both the responsibility and the opportunity to lay the ground for this G7 to be a real game-changer on gender equality. 2019 should be the year when vague promises are replaced by real progress on gender equality”.

“We cannot afford to wait another 108 years to achieve gender equality across the world. Legislative change is needed to put an end to any sexist laws, supported by financial commitments that target women and girls in the poorest countries. If Gender ministers aren’t the ones calling for change to help the 130 million girls out of school, the nearly 1000 women infected with HIV every day, then who will?”

“More than 125,000 citizens have signed an open letter from ONE to leaders to ask for rapid change. The letter warned that promises of progress on gender equality are meaningless without concrete action”.

Activists will be in Paris, as part of the W7 mobilisation, to show ministers that citizens support them taking bold action and encourage them to set the direction for the next ministerials coming up – health, education, development and finance – and prepare for a historic summit in Biarritz.

Aya Chebbi, Tunisian activist and African Union Youth envoy, said:

“We are here because this meeting and the G7 process represent a genuine opportunity to set the agenda on gender equality especially empowering young women. But there’s also a risk that the G7 leaders waste this opportunity when they meet in August. Together with ministers responsible for gender we need to ensure that doesn’t happen.”

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