G7 open letter

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