(18 January 2021) – UN Women, the European Commission, the Governments of Belgium, France,
Mexico and Cartooning for Peace, are launching a global Comic and Cartoon Competition to
celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action of 1995, the most visionary agenda for the
empowerment of women and girls, was adopted in Beijing, China by 189 governments committed
to taking strategic, bold action, to ensure equality and non-discrimination.
Twenty-five years later, the Beijing promise is only partially fulfilled, and social justice is still
inaccessible to too many women.
To bring visibility to the unfinished business of gender equality and women’s rights, the
Competition calls youth, aged 18 to 28, from all over the world, to picture their vision for gender
equality in fields ranging from sharing of unpaid care and domestic work to fighting for an end to
sexual harassment and all forms of violence against women and girls.
In cooperation with Cartooning for Peace, Mexican cartoonist Boligán and French comic artist
Adène and high-level representatives of the organising partners, including Prime Minister of
Belgium Alexander De Croo and UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka will
serve as jury. The jury will select three finalists, who will be awarded and invited to participate
virtually at the opening ceremony of the Generation Equality Forum in Paris.
The Generation Equality Forum -convened by UN Women and co-chaired by France and Mexico,
with the leadership and partnership of civil society- , will bring together governments,
corporations and change makers of all ages and genders to define and announce ambitious
gender equality investments and commitments.
The awarded cartoons will be exhibited as well as featured on the online platform of Cartooning
for Peace.
Cartoons must be submitted by 14 March 2021.
Additional information and bases for the Competition can be found at
https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2021/1/announcement-comic-and-cartoon-competition.
