Today, I am proud to join the #CrackTheCrises coalition of activists, political leaders, and feminists on a march to Downing Street to deliver a public letter signed by leading lights. The call to action, co-ordinated by Care International UK, brings together a powerful group of voices including Circle Founder Annie Lennox, and Circle Ambassadors Livia Firth, Lucy Siegle, Kalpona Akter. Together, we are calling on the G7 to end the crisis women and girls across the world are disproportionately suffering.
DEAR PRIME MINISTER,
The G7 Summit must crack the gender inequality crisis and deliver for women and girls.
COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on the lives of women and girls – as a health emergency but also as a crisis that has pulled them out of school, doubled their workload, exposed them to more abuse or stopped their paid employment altogether. Women and girls who already face discrimination around the world have felt the biggest impacts. Evidence shows that without urgent investment, the pandemic will add another 36 years to closing the gender gap.
Despite these multiple threats, women have been at the forefront of the response to COVID-19 and their expertise must be valued and funded.
As you host the G7 Summit this weekend, we call on you to commit to vaccine equity and to take action on gender equality, by committing financial and political support to:
- End violence against women and girls by increasing funding for prevention and response work led by women’s rights organisations and girl-led groups
- Recognise and value unpaid care work and provide significant public funding to reduce and redistribute it
- Invest in women and girls’ participation and leadership through women and girls’ rights organisations to deliver open, democratic societies
- Reverse the harmful UK aid cuts, restoring funding to girls’ education, family planning and women and girls’ health, and projects working around the world to promote gender equality including in humanitarian crises
- Crack The Crises is a campaign group of over 75 organisations representing 12 million people. We join with them to call on you to act now and stop the rollback of a generation of gender equality.
Signatures
Kalpona Akter, Circle Ambassador and Bangladesh Human Rights Activist
David Arnold, Composer
Samantha Barry, Editor in Chief, Glamour Magazine
Livia Firth, Activist and Co-Founder of The Circle
Ali Hewson, Activist and Businesswoman
Bianca Jagger, CEO and Founder, Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation
Basma Khalifa, Filmmaker
Nice Leng’ete, End-FGM Activist
Annie Lennox, Singer, Songwriter, Activist and Founder of The Circle
Helen Pankhurst, Scholar, Women’s Rights Activist and Writer
Arlene Phillips CBE
James Purefoy, Actor
Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, Activist, Political Commentator, Author and Lawyer
Lucy Siegle, Circle Ambassador, Journalist and Climate Activist
Emma Thompson, Actor and Activist
Jude Wanga, Writer and Activist
Jodie Whittaker, Actor
Evie Aspinall – Youth 7 delegate and women and girls’ rights activist
Seyi Akiwowo, Founder and CEO, Glitch
Dr Barbara Diamant Soroptimist Central and South West London
Himansu Basu, Medical Director, RMCH Rotary Action Group
Erica Belanger, Executive Director, SafeHands
Alvaro Bermejo, Director General, International Planned Parenthood Federation
Hannah Bond, Director, Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAPS)
Joeli Brearley, Founder, Pregnant Then Screwed
Rose Caldwell, CEO, Plan International UK
Barbara Cleary Vice Chair SecurityWomen
Simon Cooke, CEO, MSI Reproductive Choices
Jamie Drummond, Co-Founder ONE
Suzanne Ehlers, CEO, Malala Fund
Jo Elms, Managing Director, Options Consultancy Services
Brita Fernandez Schmidt, Executive Director, Women for Women International UK
Catherine Fookes, Director, Women’s Equality Network (WEN) Wales
Melissa Green, General Secretary of The WI
Kate Hampton, CEO, CIFF
Caroline Haworth, CEO, Womankind Worldwide
Tufail Hussain, UK Director, Islamic Relief
David Johnson, Chief Executive, Margaret Pyke Trust
Alphonsine Kabagabo, Director, Women for Refugee Women
Kay King, Executive Director, White Ribbon Alliance UK
Camilla Knox-Peebles, Chief Executive, Amref Health Africa UK
Laurie Lee, CEO, Care International UK
Dame Lesley Regan, Secretary FIGO, Chair Wellbeing of Women charity
Frances Longley, CEO, Action Aid
Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson, Director, Women’s Budget Group
Helen McEachern, CEO, Cherie Blair Foundation for Women
Kirsty McNeill, Executive Director of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns, Save the Children UK
Jonna Monaghan, Project Coordinator, Northern Ireland Women’s European Platform
Othman Moqbel, CEO, Syria Relief
Edward Morris, President, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
Mercy Njiriri, Kajiado County Adult Education Cordinator, Ministry of Education
Lois Quam, President and CEO, Pathfinder International
Dr Sarabajaya Kumar, Women’s rights and disability activist and political candidate for WEP
Raakhi Shah, CEO The Circle
Danny Sriskandarajah, CEO, Oxfam GB
Hannah Swirsky, Campaign Coordinator, Centenary Action Group
Isaac Tobiko, Programs Director, Nareto Latia indigenous peoples’ program
Melanie Ward, UK Executive Director, International Rescue Committee
Alice Welbourn, Founding Director, Salamander Trust
Jessica Woodroffe, Director, Gender and Development Network (GADN)
Anita Zaidi, President, Gender Equality Division, BMGF
The Lord Alderdice
The Baroness Bakewell DBE
The Baroness Barker
The Baroness Benjamin DBE OBE
The Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury
The Baroness Brinton
The Rt Hon. the Lord Bruce of Bennachie
The Baroness Burt of Solihull
The Lord Campbell of Pittenweem
The Lord Chidgey
The Rt Hon. The Lord Foster of Bath
The Lord Fox
The Lord German OBE
The Lord Goddard of Stockport
The Baroness Goudie
The Baroness Grender MBE
The Baroness Harris of Richmond DL
The Baroness Helic
The Baroness Hodgson of Arbinger CBE
The Baroness Humphreys
The Lord Hussain
The Baroness Hussein-Ece OBE
The Baroness Janke
The Baroness Jenkin of Kennington
The Baroness Jolly
The Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb
The Rt Hon. the Baroness Kramer
The Baroness Ludford
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer
The Rt Hon. The Lord Newby OBE
The Baroness Smith of Newnham
The Rt Hon. the Baroness Northover
The Lord Oates
The Baroness Parminter
The Lord Patel KT
The Lord Purvis of Tweed
The Baroness Sheehan
The Lord Shipley OBE
The Lord Stephen
The Lord Stoneham of Droxford
The Rt Hon. The Lord Stunell OBE
The Baroness Sugg CBE
The Baroness Suttie of Hawick
The Baroness Thomas of Winchester MBE
The Baroness Thornhill MBE
The Baroness Tyler of Enfield
The Baroness Uddin
The Rt Hon. the Lord McNally
Sarah Champion MP
Preet Gill MP
Emma Hardy MP
Harriet Harman MP
Helen Hayes MP
Chris Law MP
Caroline Lucas MP
Layla Moran MP
Caroline Nokes MP
Yasmin Qureshi MP
Bell Ribiero-Addy MP
Tommy Sheppard MP
Back to News