The fourth Commonwealth Women’s Forum will be held in Apia, Samoa, in October this year on the margins of the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
The forum brings together delegates from around the Commonwealth to highlight women’s political, economic and societal contributions while identifying policies to advance gender equality and peace for all.
Outcomes from the forum will inform discussions among Commonwealth leaders on promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment – helping to ensure that women and girls are included at the highest level of decision-making on issues directly affecting them.
The programme includes lead-up consultative events, substantive plenary sessions and parallel workshops, providing the opportunity for participants to focus on four priority areas, namely:
- Women in leadership
- Women’s economic empowerment
- Gender and climate change
- Ending violence against women and girls
Set up in 2015, the Commonwealth Women’s Forum sits alongside three other stakeholder meetings – the Commonwealth Business Forum, Youth Forum and People’s Forum.
Registrations for the 2024 Women’s Forum will be open shortly via the official CHOGM 2024 website.
Ahead of the Women’s Forum in Apia, the Commonwealth Secretariat is hosting two events to make consultations as inclusive as possible. These include:
Event 1: Women’s economic empowerment - a key component for development
10 March 2024
This hybrid event was held on 10 March 2024 to consult governments and women’s rights groups on ways to empower women in the economy as a means towards achieving sustainable development.
Held alongside the 68th Session of the United Nations Consultations on the Status of Women in New York City, the event was attended by more than 120 delegates from more than 20 Commonwealth countries.
Event 2: What is working in ending gender-based violence (GBV) in the Commonwealth
4 June 2024
This virtual event will be a platform for Commonwealth governments and civil society groups to showcase innovative initiatives that have successfully reduced cases of gender-based violence.
It will also facilitate the sharing of good practices and the latest research guiding national response to gender-based violence. Recommendations from this event will inform deliberations at the Commonwealth Women’s Forum in October.
Learn more about the 2022 Commonwealth Women’s Forum
For further information, please email [email protected].
