Equal Futures Partnership
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.
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 13 founding members has more than doubled to include over 30 countries and the European Union, along with private sector, non-profit, and multilateral partners.