In June 2019, over 8,000 passionate advocates gathered in Vancouver BC, for Women Deliver – the largest global conference on gender equality. World leaders, youth, experts and people across many sectors came together to celebrate the power of women and push towards a healthier, wealthier and more equitable world for all.
“The theme of Women Deliver was power and it really stood out in all aspects of the conference,” shares Taryn Russell, Campaigns Director at Results Canada. “Diverse and innovative ideas on how we can use our power to speak up and stand up for progress and change came up again and again at the conference.”
During the conference Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a historic announcement that Canada will be investing $1.4 billion dollars annually until 2030 in women and girls’ health, including sexual and reproductive health rights. This investment will contribute significantly to the wellbeing of over 18 million women around the world, making Canada a top funder of sexual and reproductive health rights globally.
Results Canada, our partners and volunteers were happy to see a strong Canadian commitment to the issues we collectively work on every day. Women Deliver was truly an inspiring experience – look at what two Results volunteers had to say:
“Trudeau's big announcement was the high point of the conference for me. I was impressed to see young leaders sitting alongside the top names in international development at the plenaries. How would I use my power? Stay informed and keep advocating!” - Chitra Ramaswami, Citizen Advocate, Calgary.
“Women Deliver more than met my high expectations. The many women I spoke to, as well as those I heard speak when attending sessions on advocacy and how to use our power, were both bright and talented. They were also brave in sharing their often painful stories of gender inequality. The wisdom of older women was welcome, but it was the passion and activism of younger women that took my breath away while filling me with great hope for the future.”- Sherry Moran, Citizen Advocate, Ottawa
After listening, learning and advocating, everyone left the conference with a challenge from Katja Iverson, Women Deliver CEO: to think critically about the power we all have and how we can use that power for good. We share this challenge with you!
How will you use YOUR power to build a more just and equal world?
