Call for Regional Participants Beijing+25 Youth Regional Consultation 2019 | 2 – 5, November | Santiago, Chile

Background:

In 1995, the Fourth World Conference on Women took place in Beijing, one of the largest gatherings of defenders of gender equality in history and where the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was born. The platform was adopted by 189 governments that committed to taking bold and strategic actions in 12 areas of special concern: poverty, education and training, health, violence, armed conflicts, economy, power and decision-making, institutional mechanisms, human rights, media, environment, and girls.

25 years later, in 2020, it is 25 years since both the Beijing Conference and the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action, in a context in which gender equality concentrates the most attention. Despite some progress, real change has been desperately slow for most women and girls around the world. Nowadays, no country can claim to have achieved gender equality. Several obstacles remain unchanged in legislation and culture. As a result, women continue to be undervalued, continue to work more, earn less, have fewer options, and face various forms of violence in the home and in public spaces.

Today, both men and women - and boys and girls - all over the world speak for themselves, as well as for those people who have been silenced, stigmatized and embarrassed for too long. A large part of them and they are of a new generation. They are taking advantage of the moment to imagine economies, societies and political systems that defend human rights and achieve gender equality without leaving anyone behind. UN Women, along with UN AIDS, UNICEF, the UNDP and the UNFPA, is bringing together the next generations of women's rights activists with the defenders of gender equality and the visionaries who were indispensable in the creation of the Beijing Platform for Action, more than Two decades. Collectively, these people who create change of all ages and genders can address the unfinished task of empowering women.

Context:

To follow up the Beijing+25 agenda, UN Women created the new multigenerational campaign "Generation Equality: For women's rights and an equal future", which requires equality in remuneration, equality when sharing domestic work and unpaid care, end sexual harassment and all forms of violence against women and girls, health services that respond to their needs, and their participation on equal bases in political life and in decision making in all spheres of life.

In this line, Beijing +25 will have the participation and collaboration of civil society, giving voice to women and young women and girls to continue its agenda. This is the case, for example, of the Global Forum on Gender Equality to be held in the summer of 2020, a forum inspired by multilateralism and the commitment to equality and justice, which aims to offer a generational opportunity to mobilize actors that make it possible to achieve gender equality.

Why?

On a continent where young people are at the forefront of social change, political participation, reconciliation, and resilience building, understanding what these policies mean for everyday gender equality is crucial, along with how they can in turn shape global, regional, and local policies. At the Beijing+25 Youth Regional Consultation, we will explore how to bring policy into action, to map youth engagement with the Beijing Platform for Action and Agenda 2030, and to identify their significance for youth-led strategies and gender-equality priorities. The forum will provide participants with a platform to share their work and knowledge, to develop inter-institutional cooperation around gender equality and online participation mechanisms, as well as to build networks of support among each other.

Requirements:

To participate in the Beijing+25 Youth Forum, to bolster your capacity as a young ambassador of the Beijing Platform for Action, and be part of an empowering collective of like-minded changemakers, we encourage you to share your experiences and apply, if you are:

• Born and live in a country of the Latin America and Caribbean region;
• Aged between 15 and 24;
• Fluent in English and/or Spanish—it is important to us that you feel comfortable to participate! We will operate a peer-to-peer translation system, so you only need to be fluent in one of the two languages.
• Involved in gender equality in your community, especially in one of the main areas of the Beijing Platform for Action.

Priority will be given to applicants that represent broad networks, youth organizations, and civic movements from the following constituencies; youth gender equality advocates, young women human rights defenders, young male gender activists, rural, indigenous, lesbian, bi, and queer young women, trans, intersex, and gender non-conforming young people, disability, child widows, child brides, young women living with HIV, young workers including migrant workers and domestic workers, young migrants and refugees.

Special consideration will be given to participants who:

• Have experience in fields related to gender equality, women’s empowerment, peacebuilding and conflict transformation;
• Are currently active in a women’s rights and gender equality organization;
• Have experience with and/or represent marginalized communities;
• Are committed to applying the outcomes of the consultation to their own work.

The selection of participants will be based on applicants’ motivation and experience, as well as gender balance and diverse representation.

Please note: Accommodation, food, and travel costs are fully covered (in compliance with our reimbursement guidelines).

Apply now by sending via mail:

• Intentions letter of maximum 400 words, explaining how you incorporate the Beijing Platform for Action in your daily work and what the priorities should be in Latin America and the Caribbean to accomplish its objectives.
• Updated CV with contact details.

Application Deadline: Friday October 4^th of September, 2019

Apply and send your queries in the following email address: [ Click to reveal ]