About Equal Futures

The Equal Futures Partnership is an innovative multilateral initiative designed to encourage member countries to empower women economically and politically. Equal Futures partner countries commit to taking actions -- including legal, regulatory, and policy reforms --- to ensure women fully participate in public life at the local, regional, and national levels, and that women lead and benefit from inclusive economic growth.

Working closely with key stakeholders to identify policy and program priorities, Equal Futures members set achievable goals as commitments within the Partnership and report on progress. Members exchange best practices and lessons learned in a flexible and agile framework. Key multilateral stakeholders, such as UN Women and the World Bank, as well as leading businesses and non-profit institutions, also support the work of Equal Futures.

History

In response to President Obama’s challenge to other heads of state to break down barriers to women’s economic and political participation, former U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett launched Equal Futures during the 2012 UN General Assembly. In three short years, a partnership that began with 11 governments has more than doubled to include 28 countries and the European Union, along with private sector, non-profit, and multilateral partners.

Governance Structure

In 2015, Equal Futures established a new governance structure, which is led by the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee sets the strategic vision for Equal Futures and is working to increase the number of Equal Futures members from underrepresented regions, including Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. The Steering Committee consists of the past chair, current chair, and future chair of Equal Futures and representatives from regional subcommittees.

The United States is serving as the past chair of the Steering Committee; Croatia is the current chair for 2016. Regional subcommittees are presently represented on the Steering Committee by:

• Asia and Pacific Islands: Bangladesh,
• Europe: Croatia,
• Middle East and North Africa: Morocco,
• Latin America: Peru,
• Africa: Sierra Leone

The advisory subcommittee is chaired by an Equal Futures external partner, and composed of representatives from civil society and private sector partners.

Get Involved

Countries committed to promoting women’s political and economic participation are welcome to join Equal Futures. Government representatives and other interested stakeholders should email EqualFutures@state.gov for more information.