"At its heart of We the Women is the idea that we, the women, have the power to come together and craft sustainable solutions for our shared future." The words of Angela Polinsky echo some 1000 Online Volunteers like herself who participated in the first-ever global campaign centering on women. These volunteers gathered the voices of over 25,000 women in 185 countries in a survey, the data of which, informs global priorities and how the international community can address them.
Angela was also one of the campaign volunteers who participated in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Roundtable discussion that centered on the survey, conducted by the United Nations Office of Partnerships (UNOP). Women were asked questions about how they see the future, their priorities, fears and hopes, and how global leaders can listen to them and support them to address issues, challenges and opportunities of the future.
"By inviting women from diverse backgrounds to contribute their ideas and perspectives, this campaign not only amplifies their voices but also fosters a sense of collective ownership over the global challenges that we face," reflects Angela.
The survey was conducted in the lead up to the Summit of the Future in September 2024.
Online Volunteer with We the Women campaign, Angela Polinsky (above) is from the United States of America. Some 1000 Online Volunteers worked on the campaign, they came from over 100 nationalities. @UNV, 2024.
Between April and June 2024, the survey and its results were disseminated on digital platforms — much of the widespread outreach was made possible thanks to the Online Volunteers, who circulated survey results on their social media channels.
The online volunteering experience was remarkable, largely due to the unwavering dedication of the volunteers. It allowed us to hear women's voices firsthand. Working with the UNV coordinators was the highlight of the experience — their patience and kindness were invaluable." Noor Al Zubair, Project Coordinator at UNOP.
Achieving an ambitious global reach came with a set of challenges. Online Volunteers primarily used email correspondence to submit screenshots of the survey responses, which was difficult to manage. Learning from this experience, UNOP implemented Google Forms to track the dissemination of results, significantly reducing the workload. Solutions were proposed at each step that resulted in a successful collaboration between UNOP and the United Nations Volunteers.
Online Volunteers who worked on this campaign were from China, Egypt, Ghana, India, Italy, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, the United States of America, and about 100 other countries.
The campaign was initiated by United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and German Minister for Economic Development and Cooperation Svenja Schulze in September 2023 during the Women Rise for All Luncheon at the SDG Summit.
We the Women campaign is a global movement to engage the world’s women in shaping global solutions for the future. It is reaching out to the world’s women through various channels inviting their thoughts, ideas, and aspirations — what is the world they want, how do we get there, and their expectations from the international community to bring this vision to fruition. The campaign aligns with SDG 5 for gender equality, SDG 10 for reduced inequalities, and is an initiative of Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed's Women Rise for All — highlighting women's leadership and the progress towards the SDGs.
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In 2023, there were over 14,000 requests posted by UN partners, Member States and civil society. So far, in the middle of 2024, the requests have increased by three percent as compared to the previous year. For more information on how to become an Online Volunteer and how to recruit Online Volunteers, please click here.