Gender Equality: Hope in Action

On a crisp late-February morning in Geneva, it’s near freezing and I can see my breath come out in white clouds as I am running at the lake. It’s the kind of winter morning that makes me reflect. As we celebrate International Women’s Day, I reflect on my life and career, a life spanning over a half century, and a global career spanning over two decades. What are the set of circumstances, some within but many outside of my will and control, that have brought me to where I am today? Partly, it is the lottery of birth.

Being born in a country like Belgium and a family where I had access to a safe home, and education and career opportunities, that countless women and girls do not. I had strong women in my family who were instrumental in shaping my life, and hence my fate. My grandmother, my role model who passed away at 99, and my mother, my father and brother, all of whom empowered me to go out into the world and find my place and my voice. Who instilled in me a set of values, a simple yet unshakeable faith, that if I worked hard, I would have the same set of opportunities as anyone else.

Yet, millions of women around the world do not have the same opportunities. At the current rate of progress, it may take close to 300 years to achieve full gender equality, as per the “Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): The Gender Snapshot 2022”.

So, what must we do to turn promises into action? What does it mean to accelerate progress? And what is truly at stake if we do not question and challenge the status quo, and build a world where women, girls, and gender-diverse people live free from inequality, poverty, and violence?

The picture today is worrisome. From 2020 to 2023, the world has experienced multiple global shocks including the COVID-19 pandemic, increased geopolitical tensions and war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, the cost-of-living crisis, and ongoing tightening financial conditions related to rising interest rates. From the perspective of gender equality, if current trends continue, an estimated 8 per cent of the world’s female population (342.4 million women and girls) will live on less than $2.15 a day by 2030 and close to one in four will experience moderate or severe food insecurity.

By 2050, climate change will push up to 158 million more women and girls into poverty and lead  236 million more women into hunger. The climate crisis fuels escalating conflict and forced migration, in a context of exclusionary, anti-rights political rhetoric targeting women, refugees, and other marginalized groups.

Gender inequality underpins many problems which disproportionately affect women and girls, such as domestic and sexual violence, lower pay, lack of access to education, and inadequate healthcare. Conflict affects women and girls first and worst and amplifies pre-existing inequalities and discrimination. Sexual violence in embattled areas is widespread and is often used as a war tactic. Unfortunately, we are confronted every day by this horror.

Did you know that today, 2.9 billion people remain unconnected to the internet, the majority of them women and girls in developing countries. Globally, girls and women make up just one-third of students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. In the tech industry, men outnumber women two to one. And in Artificial Intelligence, which is shaping our future world, only about one out of five workers is a woman.

This connectivity gap has begun to be recognised as a fundamental human rights issue, especially in embattled areas.

Another pivotal area that needs addressing is increasing education, income and employment for women and girls, particularly in the Global South. According to UNICEF, 129 million girls are out of school globally, including 32 million of primary school age, 30 million of lower-secondary school age, and 67 million of upper-secondary school age. In countries affected by conflict, girls are more than twice as likely to be out of school than girls living in non-affected countries.

We urgently need to invest further in education for all. As Mahatma Gandhi says, “if you educate a man, you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman, you educate an entire family.”

Women’s participation in leadership and decision making is a dire need across governments, civil society, the public and private sector.

Despite this, only 10% of Fortune 500 companies are led by women. How can businesses create more opportunities for women in leadership? CEOs need to make this a key priority, ramp up mentorship and sponsorship programs for women, and institutionalise policies that make workplaces safer for women and gender diverse people to thrive and flourish. Addressing women’s needs and engaging women in decision-making must be mandatory.

Gender equality is the catalyst for the transformation our world needs. Progress is not always linear and is ridden with bumps, false starts, and seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

I believe we can action and accelerate SDG 5 gender equality if all of us – governments, academics, CEOs, teachers, investors – move the needle. How can we integrate this topic at every level of society so that our behaviour changes starting from our children at kindergarten who need to embrace the principle of inclusion and diversity?

I strongly believe we all have an individual responsibility and together, we can do so much more. Collaborative and collective action is the only way forward. We need a strong marriage between the public and private sector. But more than ever we need bold leadership.

As I am ending my run today, I think about the NY marathon I did in 2015, the year the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 2030 agenda was launched. It took me 18 months to train and every step forward was an important victory. It is the journey that matters. And everyone needs to be involved.

Will we be the agents of change and leave a positive legacy behind?

A future that is equal for all. A future that actively creates conditions for all to thrive. A future where all forms of life, human and non-human, flourish. This future, inevitable but not yet imminent, is hoping we will say yes! It is a long path, every small step forward matters.

The time is now to run together and accelerate. Join me and #inspireinclusion.