Synthesis report: Generation Equality’s multi-stakeholder partnership approach

Around the world, progress toward gender equality is under growing pressure. Women’s rights organizations are facing shrinking funding and civic space, while conflict, climate change, economic instability, and political backlash continue to deepen inequalities for women and girls. In response, Generation Equality was created as a global initiative bringing together governments, civil society, youth movements, the private sector, philanthropies, and the United Nations to work collectively toward gender equality.

This synthesis report documents that, over its first five years, Generation Equality has shown how collaboration across sectors and regions can help drive change. By promoting shared leadership, accountability, and inclusive participation, the initiative created new ways for diverse actors to work together, respond to threats against women’s rights, and influence global policy discussions. Its work contributed to stronger attention to gender equality in digital policy, greater recognition of the care economy, improved accessibility standards in international spaces, and coordinated responses to attacks on women’s rights in different countries.

At the same time, the report stresses that important challenges remain. Participation and resources are still unevenly distributed, and sustaining inclusive collaboration requires significant time, funding, and coordination. Even so, the experience of Generation Equality shows that meaningful progress depends not only on commitments and results but also on how people and institutions work together. Trust-building, shared decision-making, and collective action are essential for sustaining momentum for gender equality in an increasingly fragmented and uncertain global context.