Dear JOhn,

As January 2020 falls into view - I wanted to share with you, as a fellow activist, some thoughts on what next year might hold for the women’s rights movement and for our work here at Equality Now.

The environmental crisis, the struggle for control of finite natural resources, growing extremes in wealth inequality and the growth of the internet is feeding extremism, conservatism, organized crime, conflict, mistrust and division; provoking vast migrations of people around the world, generating poverty and increasing vulnerability to exploitation. And it’s the women and girls that are inevitably hit the hardest.

A strong inclusive women’s movement has never been more necessary, yet our movement sometimes feels fraught with fractions.

In the face of these many divisions and the conservative forces at play, Equality Now’s focus on legal equality, the rule of law, access to justice and the role of international law provides opportunities for building bridges and finding common cause.

Our global reach and the diversity of our networks enable us to bring together a diversity of women and girls’ experiences and thoughts.

We have it in our power to define a new inclusive future, indeed, it is already happening.

Equality and universality of rights for ALL women, that is what I am working for in 2020, join me in shaping our shared future.

In solidarity,

Niki Kandirikirira

Director of Programmes