Frequently Asked Questions

To do something ‘in equal measure’ means to give the same importance to different groups. The name Equal Measures 2030 speaks directly to our belief in equality and to our goal of measuring progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

This partnership is a unique civil society and private sector-led initiative that connects data and evidence with advocacy and action. Partners and donors have been carefully chosen to create a bold, independent, collaborative and globally representative initiative.

Equal Measures 2030 adds value to existing United Nations global monitoring efforts, drawing out original analysis and visualizations of existing quantitative data, highlighting complementary measures and alternative data sources at the country level and by collecting qualitative data that can more fully reflect girls’ and women’s realities.

We work closely with a variety of organizations to ensure we collaborate rather than duplicate, and look to them to collect the official SDG indicators. This includes UN Women, UNICEF, UNESCO, WHO and other United Nations agencies, national governments, the media, academia, private sector and others.

While the United Nations focuses primarily on designing methodologies, collecting and disseminating cross-nationally comparable data and building the capacity of national statistical offices, Equal Measures 2030 complements these efforts by focusing on the use and analysis of these data, building the capacity of partners and advocates and putting data and analysis in the hands of girls’ and women’s movements, advocates and decision makers so they can fuel a data revolution for SDG accountability.

We provide funding and technical support to a girls’ and women’s rights organization in each of our focus countries with the goal of strengthening data-driven advocacy for girls’ and women’s rights and the achievement of the Global Goals. Each of our national partners is distinct, but all will be using data and evidence to better influence decision makers to achieve the Global Goals for girls and women.

Equal Measures 2030 draws on a wide range of data sources compiled in the global SDG database as well as regional and national initiatives. These indicators are typically (but not always) based on official statistics provided by national statistical offices and government ministries, but also include data from household surveys carried out by international agencies and others. Equal Measures 2030 seeks to add value to these data as well as to use other indicators and complementary data sources where relevant.

The day-to-day work of the partnership is managed by a Secretariat hosted by Plan International. A partnership council made up of representatives from each partner organization serves as an advisory board – setting the high-level strategic direction of the initiative and providing a forum for discussion and decision making among partners.

The African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) is a regional, membership-based NGO set up in 1988 to share information, experiences, ideas and strategies among African women’s NGOs to strengthen the capacity of women to participate effectively in the development of our continent. This is done through advocacy, capacity building, communication and networking.

Leadership Testimonial:

As a Pan-African feminist network, we mobilize for collective action and amplify the voices and participation of Africa’s women and girls to enrichment the global gender equality discourse. With Equal Measures 2030 at the core of global aspirations to bridge the gaps of inequality and discrimination, women and girls will be treated as equal human beings… No “ifs”, no “buts!”

– Dinah Musindarwezo, Executive Director of The African Women’s Community and Development Network (FEMNET)

At ARROW, we utilize monitoring and evidence generation as a political tool to hold governments, donors and international agencies accountable to national and international commitments. We hope our involvement with Equal Measures 2030 will help strengthen our collective voice by highlighting gender gaps in data and outcomes, measuring progress for girls and women and identifying evidence-based solutions that will allow us to further our work in the [Asia-Pacific] region.

The work of Equal Measures 2030 is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The foundation is committed to removing barriers so women and girls can thrive and to working with partners toward a world where every person has the opportunity to live a healthy and productive life.

Leadership Testimonial:

Too often, women and girls are invisible, with no data or sexist data on the issues that disproportionately affect their lives. To make good on the promise of gender equality in the Sustainable Development Goals, we have to make girls and women visible. That’s why the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is proud to support Equal Measures 2030. The barriers to gender equality are deeply ingrained, and overcoming them will not be easy. But if we succeed, we will all benefit.

– Melinda Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Data2X is a collaborative technical and advocacy platform, housed at the United Nations Foundation and dedicated to improving the quality, availability and use of gender data in order to make a practical difference in the lives of women and girls. Data2X works to close gender data gaps, promote expanded and unbiased gender data collection, and use gender data to improve policies, strategies and decision-making in support of gender equality.

Leadership Testimonial:

Our involvement in Equal Measures 2030 is motivated by a belief that civil society and private sector action is essential to generate greater demand for and use of gender data, particularly at the national level. We hope that by bringing our unique perspective and pairing it with the other partners’ longstanding expertise in advocacy for women’s and girls’ rights, we can help accelerate demand at the national level for the data we need to monitor progress for women and girls in the SDG era.

– Emily Courey Pryor, Executive Director of Data2X

International Women’s Health Coalition(IWHC) advances the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and young people, particularly adolescent girls, in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. IWHC furthers this agenda by supporting and strengthening leaders and organizations working at the community, national, regional and global levels, and by advocating for international and U.S. policies, programs and funding.

Leadership Testimonial:

Unless women’s realities are at the core of reporting on the SDGs, we won’t be able to actually uphold their rights and improve their lives. In particular, I want to ensure that the perspectives of feminist groups and leaders are given a big platform, because women’s lived experiences and on-the-ground knowledge are often ignored or downplayed. Equal Measures 2030 is that platform.

– Françoise Girard, President of the International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC)

KPMG Internationalbrings extensive cross-industry expertise in responding to today’s challenges and delivering bold solutions to meet the Global Goals. KPMG has a deep appreciation for the transformative impact of empowering women and girls. The company is engaged across the public and private sector in implementing solutions and working in partnerships that seek to create a more prosperous, resilient and inclusive world.

Leadership Testimonial:

Closing the data gap is key to achieving gender equality across the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Bringing private sector data capabilities to the table can provide innovative approaches, best practices and resources to help overcome the challenges of missing or insufficient data. KPMG is proud to support Equal Measures 2030 in their mission to enable decision-makers to make evidence-based policy interventions that benefit women and girls – making sure that each counts and is counted.

ONE Campaign is an organization of more than 9 million people around the world taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, and tackle gender inequality. ONE’s ‘Poverty is Sexist’ campaign aims to influence leaders to adopt the key policies and decisions that place girls and women at the heart of the global development agenda.

Leadership Testimonial:

Equal Measures 2030 is well positioned to help get the right data into the hands of advocates who can use it. By bridging this gap and making data actionable, we’re excited that local organizations will be better equipped to fight injustice and influence policies that can maximize the potential of women and girls in their communities.

– Gayle Smith, CEO of ONE Campaign

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organization that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. Striving for a just world, the organization works together with children, young people, supporters and partners to deliver significant change for girls and boys, putting a special emphasis on gender equality.

Leadership Testimonial:

There is a gulf between what we know and what we should know about girls around the globe. If we are to achieve the ambition of the Sustainable Development Goals, we must have a far greater understanding of the lived realities of all those we represent, not just a select few. EM2030 will help us do just that and is an opportunity to shine a light on what it means to be a girl in today’s world. Put simply – data opens doors for girls.

– Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen, CEO of Plan International

El Salvador – Plan International El Salvador

In El Salvador for more than 40 years, Plan International has reached more than 700,000 girls and boys through programmes that support and empower them to achieve their rights.

Colombia – Ruta Pacífica de las Mujeres

Founded in 1996, Ruta Pacífica de las Mujeres now works with over 300 women’s organizations to promote a feminist vision of peace and non-violent civil resistance for gender equality.

Senegal – FAWE/Senegal

The Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) is a pan-African NGO with a focus on quality, gender-responsive education for girls and women in 33 countries across the continent.

Kenya – GROOTS

GROOTS Kenya was founded in 1995 as a national movement of grassroots, women-led groups, and has since supported over 2,500 women’s groups in 14 counties in the country.

'Achieve SDG5’ are supporting and equipping girls and women in Tanzania with new skills, knowledge, data and evidence-based messaging to influence policymakers at all levels on issues related to gender equality.

India – SAHAJ

Founded in 1984, Society for Health Alternatives (SAHAJ) aims to address the health and education needs of children and women by focusing on issues such as maternal mortality and sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Indonesia – KAPAL Perempuan

Kapal Perempuan was founded in 2000 with a goal of building a robust movement for gender equality with social movement actors and female leaders across Indonesia.

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