Melbourne Declaration Reframes Gender Quality Agenda

• Stronger accountability to turn gender equality promises into action
• Power shift to communities and grassroots movements
• Urgent action backed by $190M+ funding and global initiatives

At the Women Deliver Conference, the Melbourne Declaration for Gender Equality was made available. The Melbourne Declaration for Gender Equality, a global commitment to rebalance power, resources, and accountability, aims to close the gap between what is theoretically possible and what has been experienced by girls, women, and gender-diverse individuals.

The Declaration focuses on future actions beyond the conference and has been influenced by over 650 voices across regions, generations, and movements. It highlights what is ineffective and what must improve. The Declaration is not owned by one organization but rather by all those who are involved in its advancement.

“Three decades after Beijing, and thirty-one years after Cairo, we are still arguing with men over whether a woman’s body belongs to her,” said Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina J. Mohammed.

“Securing the rights of women and girls is the world’s unfinished business. If anything, it is moving backward with new technologies amplifying misogyny and online violence.”

The Declaration directly calls on States to continue meeting their human rights obligations; requires institutions to improve upon their ability to hold themselves accountable; and urges funding sources to provide necessary resources for feminist movements and locally based solutions. The Declaration has been endorsed to date by various countries, including Colombia, Finland, France, Mexico, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, UK, Uruguay, and Canada.

For the first time in the history of this event, WD2026 has been hosted in the Oceanic region of the Pacific, with First Nations leaders and regional representatives having played a prominent role. The event focused on the importance of local realities and lived experiences when developing a global commitment to equality - as such, it includes recognition of Indigenous peoples' sovereignty, self-determination and leadership in terms of creating a sustainable and equitable future for women, girls and non-binary individuals; as noted in the First Nations & Indigenous Women’s Statement.

The Melbourne Declaration has been created to reflect the coming together of people globally for over six months of discussion and meetings, and the contribution made by all that have been involved to create their shared future together.

As said by the President and CEO of Women Deliver, Dr Maliha Khan, "This Melbourne Declaration is a pivotal point."

“It’s a commitment to do things differently. It recognizes that the challenge is not a lack of promises, but a failure to deliver on them. What comes next must be defined by accountability to people, and not just to systems.”

“We are calling for a shift in power toward communities, toward movements, and those most affected by inequality. This is how we build a more just and sustainable future,” said Khan.

After seeing six thousand delegates from more than one hundred and eighty-nine countries come together to create a global forum for communication, cooperation, and action during an urgent period of increasing demand for gender equality, the urgency of these issues was also highlighted with new and renewed commitments announced throughout the Conference of about 190 million in financial commitments and an increase in urge to implement these.

Key actions reflected; large scale funding mechanisms; establishment of Global Initiatives related to Health Systems, tech-facilitated violence etc.; and increased political direction towards achieving gender equality and sexual and reproductive health rights.