Women Deliver 2019 Conference

As you may have heard, Canada just hosted the Women Deliver 2019 Conference, the world’s largest gathering on the health, rights and well-being of women and girls.

From June 3 to 6, 2019, more than 8,000 people from more than 165 countries gathered in Vancouver, British Columbia with a common goal: building a more inclusive and equal world where every single person—no matter who they are or where they live, no matter their gender identity, expression or sexual orientation—has an equal and fair chance at success.

And the world really was in Vancouver: thousands of organizations and young people, hundreds of journalists and people representing private sector industries, UN agencies, ministers and parliamentarians from more than 50 countries, as well as gender equality advocates and mobilizers from all Canadian provinces and territories.

But Women Deliver 2019 was not just one moment in time. It was another important step forward in a movement for gender equality that exists throughout the world—a movement of change for everyone, everywhere. A movement that Canada and Canadians are leading.

Canada also announced new and innovative steps to transform how we invest in women’s organizations and movements. Women’s organizations are on the frontlines of action on issues ranging from economic development to reproductive health to violence, and yet, they are also chronically underfunded and undervalued. That’s why Canada is working to make sure they can keep doing their vital work that benefits people in all communities, regardless of federal funding cycles: 

• In Canada, $10 million each to Community Foundations of Canada, the Canadian Women’s Foundation and Grand Challenges Canada. Each organization will match this funding dollar for dollar to advance gender equality efforts across cultures and generations, particularly in rural and remote communities and to support Indigenous women in Canada.
• Globally, the Government of Canada is working with the Equality Fund, a consortium of Canadian and international organizations who have already mobilized $100 million and plan to mobilize another $1 billion over the next 15 years for women’s rights organizations and movements in developing countries. This innovative global platform that brings together the granting, philanthropic and investment worlds will be established with a $300‑million commitment from the government.

During the Women Deliver 2019 Conference, attention was focused on issues that affect women and girls in Canada and globally.

We looked unflinchingly and bravely at some of the challenges we have yet to overcome. In the days leading up to the Women Deliver 2019 Conference, the Government of Canada supported two events happening concurrently with the conference: Feminists Deliver and the Nutsamaht Indigenous Women’s Pre-Conference. Both events were designed to shine a light on local, grassroots efforts to address intersectional challenges to gender equality. This was particularly relevant as, in the days leading up to the conference, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls presented its final report to the Government of Canada.

All of these initiatives set the tone for the Women Deliver 2019 Conference: to ensure that everyone, including Indigenous women and girls, visible minorities, and LGBTQ and two-spirit people, were at the forefront of conversations about advancing gender equality in Canada and around the globe.

We took strength from each other, learned from each other, stood up for each other and inspired each other to be and do better. We fueled vital conversations: the #GenderEqualityMatters hashtag, for example, was used 24,495 times and had a reach of 67.5 million.

That is tremendous momentum—built because of Canada’s leadership and because of the passion, commitment and dedication of Canada’s partners. Because of you.

The Women Deliver 2019 Conference was a watershed moment for the gender equality movement around the world. Here at home, investments made by the Government of Canada and other Canadian partners will leave a lasting legacy of action and change for women, girls and gender diverse peoples from coast to coast to coast.

But our work is far from done. Together, we must keep building on the energy we created at the Women Deliver 2019 Conference and ensure we continue this legacy of empowerment and change that will benefit us all.