Generation Equality Forum: SOS GROUP takes concrete action for women

From 30 June to 2 July, Paris is hosting the second phase of the Generation Equality Forum, a global gathering in favour of equality between men and women, organised by UN Women in partnership with youth and civil society. SOS GROUP, committed to gender equality, is proud to participate in the Forum and to be part of the change agents of the Innovation & Technology coalition. For the next 4 years, we will be taking concrete action to ensure that our generation becomes the generation of gender equality.  

Generation Equality Forum: a global gathering for gender equality  

Accelerating the commitments made at the Beijing World Conference  

In 1995, the World Conference on Women held in China led to the signing of the Beijing Platform for Action. In it, governments recognised that « equal rights, equal opportunities and access to resources, equal sharing of family responsibilities and a harmonious partnership between women and men are essential to their well-being and that of their families and to the consolidation of democracy ». The Beijing Conference thus proclaims that equality between women and men is an essential condition for sustainable development, peace, and democracy.  

In 2020, the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action was an opportunity to take stock of the evolution of gender equality. While much progress has been made, no country can claim to have achieved gender equality today. This is why the Generation Equality Forum, which commemorates 25 years of the Beijing Platform for Action, aims to mark a major step forward in accelerating the implementation of global commitments to gender equality. 

A Forum to bring together gender equality actors

The Generation Equality Forum is a global gathering for gender equality, organized by UN Women in partnership with youth and civil society, and co-hosted by the governments of France and Mexico. The Forum began in March in Mexico City and will conclude in Paris from 30 June to 2 July 2021, where a series of concrete, ambitious and transformative actions will be launched to achieve immediate and irreversible progress towards gender equality.  

At the heart of the Forum is UN Women’s unprecedented multi-generational advocacy campaign: « Generation Equality: For Women’s Rights and an Equal Future ». The campaign aims to bring together the next generation of women’s rights activists, gender equality advocates, and visionaries who were instrumental in creating the Beijing Platform for Action more than 20 years ago. Collectively, these changemakers of all ages and genders have the capacity to meet the challenge of women’s empowerment, a goal that has yet to be achieved. 

SOS GROUP committed to putting innovation and technology at the heart of gender equality  

Within the Forum, different actors are organising themselves into action coalitions: multi-stakeholder, global and innovative partnerships that will mobilise governments, civil society, international organisations, and the private sector. Their objective: to launch a series of concrete, ambitious, and immediate targeted actions over the period 2020-2025, in order to make a real impact on gender equality and the rights of girls and women.  

SOS GROUP deeply believes in the power of innovation and technology to change mindsets and promote gender equality. This is why we are proud to participate in the Generation Equality Forum and to be part of the change agents of the Innovation & Technology coalition. 

We are determined to make this generation the equality generation!  

What are the concrete commitments made by SOS GROUP?  

Between now and 2025, SOS GROUP is committed to significantly increasing awareness-raising actions to counter gender stereotypes in the social and solidarity economy in France, Europe, and Africa. SOS GROUP will carry out several major mobilisation campaigns alongside players in the social and solidarity economy and will publish at least three high-level white papers.  

By 2025, SOS GROUP is also committed to funding and operating a multi-stakeholder initiative to bridge the digital divide for women and promote women’s entrepreneurship and leadership in technology and innovation. The goal is to train 50,000 women in digital skills and to support 1,000 women in entrepreneurship in the tech, social, cultural, and media sectors. 

SOS GROUP, long committed to women  

In terms of technology and innovation for gender equality, SOS GROUP is already engaged  to bridge the digital divide and strengthen women’s leadership and entrepreneurship to counter and overcome gender stereotypes. For example, we have :    

• Set up a nationwide digital mediation scheme in France, drawing on the expertise of our association Reconnect;  
• Increased access to training and digital skills for marginalised girls and women in Afghanistan and Romania, through the associations Afghanistan Libre and Ateliere Fara Frontiere;  
• Extensive experience in promoting entrepreneurship and incubating impactful businesses for and by women in the technology, social, cultural and media sectors in Europe, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, through the Pulse incubator network, the Creatis entrepreneurial residency, and the French Tech h7 totemic space;  
• Developed strategic advocacy campaigns to reduce gender stereotypes in early childhood in France (by Crescendo), among youth and educators in Europe and sub-Saharan Africa (by PLAY International), and among job seekers in France through an anti-stereotype recruitment campaign  in the social economy; 
• Built alliances and synergies to unite social economy actors around gender equality, through our role in the global alliance Pact for Impact;  
• Tested and scaled up grassroots responses to women’s empowerment and inclusion in France (through the Josephine network of beauty salons and the MANA Women’s School).  

The diversity of SOS GROUP operations and the variety of sectors can greatly contribute to promoting women’s access and leadership in tech and innovation. Let’s continue to work together for equality for all! 

Photos credits : 1. et 2. ONU FEMMES 3. EllesEnsemble, Comptoir, PULSE