The dream is coming true. The alignment between men and women is happening and becoming real to make a better world for all mankind.

For the first time ever, HE was called in to stand together with SHE to share their vision of a gender-equal world and implement specific, locally relevant solutions for the good of all humanity.

There is no longer a tug-of-war between men and women. The past fifty years have seen an increase in women’s movements and societies moving towards quality between men and women. While doing so, men have been criticised for overpowering women and hindering their campaigns for increased participation and an improved position in society. Men were usually side-lined from these movements.

Many realised that the world was at a turning point, that people everywhere understand and support the idea of gender equalityand that they were now aware that it’s not just a women’s issue but a human rights issue. Accordingly, UN Women realised that when those powerful voices are heard, they hold the potential to change the world and it is now the time for that change to happen.

As a result, UN Women created an unprecedented movement, HeForShe. It is a movement that is raising hope for a better relationship between men and women: one in which they would be real partners.

Surprisingly, hundreds of thousands of men have committed to this movement and are now taking their own steps to change the world, sharing their stories to inspire others to follow suit. The members reached a total figure of 1,303,137,628 worldwide. Interestingly,5,182 Egyptians have joined, with 4,408 of them men.

I myself was introduced to this movement by my 16-year-old daughter, Nadine, who at an early age became a member of this movement with the hope of contributing towards real change for both men and women in this world.

Let's look closer at this unique movement that has rapidly grown in the past two years with remarkable and astounding results.

The Movement

HeForSheis a solidarity movement for gender equality created by UN Women, the United Nations entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women. The movement was first launched in 2016 at the United Nations by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UN Women Global Goodwill Ambassador, British actress Emma Watson. Since then, hundreds of thousands of men from around the world, including heads of state, CEOs, and global luminaries from all walks of life, have committed to supporting gender equality.

The HeForShe solidarity movement provides a systematic approach and targeted platform through with a global audience can engage in achieving gender equality in our lifetime. Italso invites people around the world to stand together as equal partners to craft a shared vision of a gender equal world and implement specific, locally relevant solutions for the good of all of humanity.

To achieve gender equality, an innovative, inclusive approach was required so that men and boys can be recognised as partners for women’s rights and understand the ways in which they benefit from this equality.

The Goals

The movement's ambition aims at mobilising one billion men to accelerate the achievement of gender equality through innovative online, offline, and mobile phone technology to utilise men in every city, community, and village around the world. The HeForShejourney begins online with a simple affirmation that gender equality is not only a women’s issue, but a human rights issue that requires action. The process asks men to define what matters to them, and what they would do to make a difference.

Actions

HeForShe is not just talking about gender equality. It’s achieving it by mobilising advocates to stand together, spread the word, and change the world with real action.

VoiceMatters

HeForShe wants every voice to be heard in classrooms and corner offices around the world. Everyone has a say. Everyone has a role. Every unique contribution is essential to achieving gender equality.

The Team

The team working on making it real comprises of Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, who is the visionary leader of UN Women. Launching the movement is no other than the famous British actress Emma Watson who had asked the world to take action to build a new solidarity movement for gender equality with her speech at the United Nations. And, as head of HeForShe, Elizabeth Nyamayaro leads the strategic vision, daily execution, and delivery of the results for the initiative.

In order to reach their target, the team has been working on applying the HeForShealignment with the UN Women’s strategic plan, thus becoming an accelerator of UN Women's work across its core strategic pillars. To accelerate women's economic empowerment, HeForSheengages male CEOs and other leaders as champions for gender equality within their own organisations and individually in their personal life, encouraging them to question the status quo and commit to concrete action. To advance women's political participation and leadership, HeForSheengages male political leaders as catalysts for change across both public and private spheres and provides targeted support to male leaders eager to engage in this work. Supporting women's role in peace and security, HeForSheprovides an opportunity to rebalance the representation of men and women in the peace process by engaging both sides of the table, empowering female leaders and working with men as advocates for change. And to eliminate gender-based violence, HeForSheprovides a platform through which, first and foremost, men and boys can prevent violence by observing and changing their own attitudes, values, and behaviours towards women and girls, ensuring that they do not personally engage in discrimination or violence.

The IMPACT

"IMPACT 10x10x10" is a three-to-five-year Pilot Initiative, an effort created by HeForSheto advance and ultimately achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment through top-down change, engaging global leaders across three sectors: government, private sector, and academia. These leaders are at the forefront of gender equality serving as public champions for change and committing to concrete progress within their own institution.

In celebration of the movement's second anniversary, world leaders, change-makers, activists, and celebrities came together in New York to listen tostories from different regions that revealed how activists were creating meaningful change in their home countries.

Here's what the world leaders and celebrities said about the HeForShe movement in the occasion of the movement's anniversary: 

First Lady of New York City Chirlane McCray

First Lady of New York City Chirlane McCray shared a number of policies the city has enacted to advance gender equality. She also shared a powerful story of what it was like growing up with a HeForShe: her father. She said that even though he was the “strong but mostly silent” type, he taught his three daughters how to compete and win. “I just know he would be tremendously proud of everything the De Blasio administration is doing in New York City to make sure his granddaughter—and his grandson—can be whoever they want to be,” she said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

"Everything we do needs to focus on young people, on building a better world for the long term, and not just in time for the next election cycle. And being focused on young people and their dreams of a better world keeps us all in government thinking about what really matters," he said.

The prime minister stressed that young people aren’t just leaders for tomorrow, but also leaders for today. “Everything you do in your community, in your job, and in your school matters today, and you help shape the world around you," he said. The prime minister, who is also the country’s youth minister, expressed his appreciation for being offered to serve as HeForSheChampion for Youth Engagement and his willingness to take on the challenge.

Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe

HeForSheIMPACT Champion and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has a firm commitment to gender equality, saying that if a conservative country like Japan changes, the world will change. Abe spoke to the economic rationale behind empowering women. "I am a firm believer that without women’s empowerment, there is no revival of the Japanese economy," he said.

The prime minister also said that the importance of diversity in decision-making would not only strengthen the economy, but also the resilience of society. Because of this, he has asked Japanese companies to have at least one woman on their boards. “If Lehman Brothers had been Lehman Brothers and Sisters, would they have failed?” the prime minister quipped.

His Excellency Sauli Niinistö, President of Finland

President of Finland, His Excellency Sauli Niinistö, opened his remarks by asking, "How come we live in a world where something self-evident, namely that women and men, all born, are equal is still an issue? We should not need a movement like this in the 21st century."

Finland has been a revolutionary country in the journey to receive equal rights. In 1906, Finnish women became the world’s first to have unrestricted rights to vote and to run for parliament. Niinistö also said that Finland has risen from a country of poverty to become one of the wealthiest countries in the world, and that gender equality has been a crucial component of success.

"Empowering women and girls is of course the right thing to do, but it is also a simple recipe for success," he said.

Actor Emma Watson

Actor Emma Watson commemorated two years of HeForSheas she extolled the work of activists and asked them to recommit to gender equality. Watson shared a number of her defining moments since the 2014 launch of HeForShe. Among them, she listed the number of high profile advocates who signed on to the movement: the UN secretary-general, the entire EU commission, the NATO secretary-general, the president of the International Olympic Committee, numerous heads of state and politicians, athletes such as Usain Bolt, and actors such as Tom Hanks.

Watson also called on people to strengthen their efforts. “I ask that you recommit yourself to be part of the movement for gender equality. I genuinely feel that we are closer to a gender equal world than we were two years ago, and I know each and every ‘HeForShe’ has played a part in that,” she said.

Actor Edgar Ramirez

Famous actor Edgar Ramirez spoke about how the social norms that define masculinity are destructive for men, women, and societies as a whole. By posing the philosophical question, “What does it mean to be human?” Ramirez posited that even though it is our feelings that make us human, the expression of feelings is often discouraged by society, particularly for men and boys.

Ramirez added that the consequences were a burden for everyone and an impediment to gender equality, stating, "In the journey for equality, women and men are like two strands of DNA wrapped together in an embrace. Our burdens are as intertwined as our common destiny. The constraints that burden me will eventually burden you. And the same is true in reverse: as long as you are burdened, I am too. By recognising this inter-dependence, I can work for your well-being and know that I am also working towards my own. I can know that whatever action I take to free you, also frees me. This is not just what makes us human. This is what makes us a human family."

Chairman of PwC International Limited Bob Moritz

HeForShe IMPACT Champion and Chairman of Pricewaterhouse Coopers International Limited Bob Moritz announced that his firm has already seen progress since joining the IMPACT 10x10x10 initiative in 2015. "In January, PwC’S global leadership team was made up of 20% women. Today, PwC’s global leadership is made up of 44% women," Moritz said. “That’s progress, and it’s something we are proud of. But it didn’t happen overnight, and we have a tremendous amount of work still to do."

"The company’s first commitment was to get 80,000 PwC men to sign on to HeForSheover a three-year period. “About one year in, almost 25,000 PwC men have already taken the pledge, and about 53,000 PwC men, women, clients, and friends of the firm have committed to HeForShe," he said.

President of Stony Brook University Samuel Stanley

HeForSheIMPACT Champion and President of Stony Brook University Samuel Stanley said that Stony Brook was working toward closing the gender gap in matriculation and graduation rates, integrating gender equality into the academic and social experience, and driving a global understanding of the role of men in achieving equality. “Through outreach to all 64 SUNY campuses, we will work to positively impact the experiences of more than 459,000 students and almost 90,000 faculty and staff,” said Stanley.

Stanley also said that academics must do a better job in understanding their own biases and the impact they have on the career path of women in academia, science, and medicine. Additionally, “society as a whole must continue to evolve in search of a world free of violence and discrimination,” he said.

HeForShesays, “What we shareis more powerful than what divides us. Our mission is gender equality, our stories to make it matter, our actions to make it real. Take action now to create a gender equal world.”

And to HE, we say: are you ready to get involved, make the commitment, and take action? HeForSheneeds you. Can we count you in? If yes, go to www.heforshe.org