Author: Saskia Brechenmacher

Saskia Brechenmacher is a fellow in the Democracy, Conflict and Governance Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a Ph.D. candidate and Gates scholar at the University of Cambridge. Her writing on democracy, gender equality and women's rights has been published in Foreign Policy, National Interest, the Hill and Open Democracy, among other outlets.
The Generation Equality Forum was unique in its strong emphasis on feminist transformation. But new commitments are only the first step: The real test will be the implementation process.

How to Build On the Generation Equality Forum

The Generation Equality Forum was unique in its strong emphasis on feminist transformation. For example, the Global Acceleration Plan explicitly calls for changes in “structures, systems and power that reinforce inequality,” rather than superficial fixes that merely empower a few more women within existing structures. But like for any international summit, new commitments are only the first step: the real test will be the implementation process. Three challenges appear paramount.