$40 billion pledged at Paris conference for gender equality

World leaders, philanthropists and other organizations have pledged to provide at least $40 billion at an international conference in Paris to boost gender equality, as women across the world have been deeply affected by the consequences of the pandemic

PARIS -- World leaders, philanthropists and organizations have pledged at least $40 billion at an international conference in Paris to boost gender equality, as women and girls worldwide have been deeply affected by the consequences of the pandemic. U.N. Women’s Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka welcomed the pledges at the three-day Generation Equality Forum that started Wednesday. The summit "is about change. It is about moving from making promises to telling us what you are going to do for the situation of women to change,” she said. French President Emmanuel Macron said that over the past year and half, an extra 47 million women fell into poverty amid the pandemic, and millions of others were deprived of treatment, contraception and the possibility of choosing for themselves. “While they were on the frontline of the fight against COVID, women are the first victims of this health crisis,” he said.