Participants from a virtual event series of roundtables have collectively developed a gender-inclusive action plan to enable states, the private sector and civil society to implement a faster, fairer and more sustainable economic recovery from the downturn associated with COVID-19.
Preface
Watch event video launching the COVID-19 recovery action plan, convened by the Chatham House Gender and Inclusive Growth Initiative.
To explore ideas for addressing the policy challenges of COVID-19, including how to build economic and societal resilience while promoting gender equality, the Chatham House Gender and Inclusive Growth Initiative convened a series of events entitled ‘Beyond the Pandemic: Designing the Roadmap for a Gender Equal World’. Five virtual roundtables and a three-day virtual workshop were held between 16 June and 15 July 2020, bringing together more than 80 global thought leaders from international organizations, the public and private sectors, the corporate world, NGOs and academia.
The purpose of the events was to identify innovative gender-related business, finance and policy solutions and incorporate these into a strategic action plan for governments and corporations, in order to harness the economic power of women in driving the recovery from the pandemic.
That strategic action plan is presented here. The recommended actions and examples in this document draw on insights examined and discussed during the roundtables and workshop. The action plan – while technically authored by Elizabeth Isele and Stéphane Dubois – represents the collective voice of the participants, who determined the plan’s priorities and generated the examples and proposals elaborated in it. All participants agreed on one point: there is an urgent need for women to be included in COVID-19 recovery taskforces around the world, and at every stage of policy decision-making processes both in government and in the private sector.