Giving Compass' Take:

• Here are five main takeaways from the 2019 Women Deliver conference recently held in Vancouver. More than 8,000 people from across the globe convened at this event.

• One takeaway: Enable more women to be at the decision-making table. How are donors playing a role in mobilizing and empowering female leaders? 

• Read about how philanthropists can fund women's movements. 

As the world’s largest conference on the health, rights, and well-being of girls and women, the 2019 Women Deliver in Vancouver brought together more than 8,000 people from over 160 countries. There were conversations on everything from intersectional representation to climate change to women’s rights. What was top of mind for me?

As we reflect on the week, here are five of my top takeaways:

  1. The world’s young people are sick of political talk. They want action.  1400+ participants at Women Deliver were young people. Women Deliver’s Young Leader Natasha Mwansa’s remarks at the opening plenary (starts at 1:28:33) sums up their energy and fierceness.
  2.  Words matter. A major topic of debate at Women Deliver was the need to move away from language on “empowering women and girls” and focus instead on the power we already have as equal members of humanity.
  3. Data collection for women and girls is incomplete. Momentous life events, such as birth, marriage, death, and divorce are, unfortunately, not registered for many women, dramatically impacting her future.
  4. An individual’s journey to power begins with their sexual health and reproductive rights. As the Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Dr. Natalia Kanem put it: “Reproductive health and rights are the foundation for a life of choice.”
  5. And finally, how can we make change happen? Enable more women to be at the table. There’s nothing more powerful than women coming together to support one another. Equal representation in all sectors matters. If there’s a policy being developed for an individual or community and that voice is not at the table in the negotiation process, the policy will not sustain.

Read the full article about takeaways from Women Deliver 2019 by Charlotte Platt at United Nations Foundation.