Five New Elements for WD2023

1. Accessibility and inclusion will lead the way — in-person and virtually. We believe that gender equality will only be achieved once all people have equal access to power, dignity, justice, rights, health, and opportunities, including to network, develop skills, share knowledge, access funding opportunities, and participate in conversations that contribute to global agenda setting.

   WD2023 will host participants both on-site and virtually through a hybrid convening model. The Conference will be co-created and co-led by advocates and leaders who continue to shape the dialogue, collaboration, and collective action needed to ensure that WD2023 represents and serves girls and women, in all their intersecting identities. The Conference will leverage new and innovative ways to create spaces, both in-person and online, that enable communities often underrepresented at global convenings to participate.

   WD2023 aims to convene 6,000 participants on-site and an additional 100,000 participants online. Women Deliver will adjust for increased on-site participation should restrictions and best practices around the COVID-19 pandemic change.

2. Women Deliver will equip advocates with the skills they need to take action — before, during, and after the Conference — via an expanded Global Dialogue. Over the course of six months prior to WD2023, the Global Dialogue will equip advocates around the world with the knowledge and skills they need to address the most pressing challenges to gender equality and SRHR in their own communities, countries, and regions. Using an accessible online platform, advocates will be able to attend virtual sessions hosted by Women Deliver and our partners, network with other advocates around the world, and share information on new research. The platform will provide low-bandwidth options to ensure that all who want to participate are able to.

   The Global Dialogue aims to present new evidence and knowledge, promote solutions, and engage a broader spectrum of voices than ever before to 1) catalyze action for girls and women in the lead up to WD2023, and 2) connect diverse communities and sectors by linking previously disparate organizations and movements to drive collective action on gender equality and SRHR.

   The Global Dialogue will include webinars and workshops and will be carried out locally while remaining globally accessible. Satellite events will also be held in local communities around the world, hosted by a wide range of partners, including civil society and youth advocates.

3. Women Deliver will work in partnership with Regional Convening Partners to maximize global impact. Regional Convening Partners will mobilize and convene advocates within their region to advance the conversation around gender equality before, during, and after the Conference as part of WD2023’s expanded Global Dialogue (see above). As WD2023 is a global Conference, it is important for advocates to share progress, exchange ideas, and solicit feedback within their own regional context toward coordinating collective action in line with shared advocacy priorities.

   Colombia and South Africa are the first countries invited to participate as Regional Convening Partners given their commitment to gender equality and their deep dedication to the Conference host country selection process.

4. In partnership with the Adolescent Girls Investment Plan (AGIP), CREA, OutRight Action International, Women Enabled International, the Government of Canada, the Government of Denmark, and the Rockefeller Foundation, Women Deliver is developing an inclusive, diverse, accessible, and consultative WD2023 convening that is co-led and co-created. We commit to the goals below in order to ensure that communities traditionally underrepresented in global convenings have access to networking, skills-building, and funding opportunities: 
   • In-person and digital programming that is accessible from around the globe, including low-bandwidth options.
   • The creation of a diverse Advisory Group that prioritizes co-creation and co-leadership in the development and execution of all aspects of Conference programming.
   • A streamlined and transparent application submission process, including full transparency around selection criteria, and a deepened respect for the time and effort associated with applying to host a panel or session at the Conference.
   • 100% of panels will include speakers from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and youth speakers (under 30 at the time of the Conference).
   • 60% of Conference organizers, speakers, and advisors will be from LMICs.
   • 25% of WD2023 participants, including all 300 members of the current class of Women Deliver Young Leaders, will receive financial support. Wherever feasible, Women Deliver will offer financial support, from scholarships and honorariums to tech stipends.
   • Registration costs will be on a sliding scale, so youth and attendees from LMICs have reduced costs to participate.
   • All official programming, in both physical and digital spaces, will be accessible.  Women Deliver will provide closed captioning and interpretation in English, French, and Spanish, as well as in International Sign Language.
   • Accessibility services that include trauma-informed specialists, child safeguarding support, and mental health specialists will be provided.
   • WD2023 will prioritize the themes of the Generation Equality Forum (GEF) Action Coalitions and will create spaces at the next Conference for the Alliance for Gender Equality and Universal Health Coverage (UHC), the Global Alliance for Care, the Gender Equal Health and Care Workforce Initiative, the SRHR and Climate Justice Coalition, Deliver for Good, and the Adolescent Girls Investment Plan (AGIP) to build on efforts started at GEF.
5. Women Deliver will create dedicated GEF advocacy spaces in order to catalyze the political change, investments, action, and accountability needed to drive progress toward a gender-equal world at WD2023 and beyond. Specifically, WD2023 will prioritize the themes of the GEF Action Coalitions and create spaces for the Alliance for Gender Equality and UHC, the Global Alliance for Care, the Gender Equal Health and Care Workforce Initiative, the SRHR and Climate Justice Coalition, Deliver for Good, and AGIP to build on efforts started at GEF.

Learn more about Women Deliver’s GEF Commitments and how the Conference will serve as a platform to catalyze action on gender equality for — and with — girls and women, in all their intersectional identities here.