Championing Gender Equality through Business Events: BestCities’ Approach to UN SDG Goal 5

Women and girls represent half the world’s population, yet globally women in the labour market still earn 23 percent less than men and spend three times as many hours engaging in unpaid domestic and care work.

Symbolic representation for gender equality, UN Sustainable Development Goal 5. Shows a combined male and female gender symbol with an equal sign in the center on a red background, embodying the essence of Sustainable Development Goals.

The United Nations addresses this persisting inequality with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, Gender Equality – a fundamental human right that has gotten worse, not better, since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through impactful business events, diverse leadership, and initiatives by partner cities worldwide, BestCities Global Alliance is committed to promoting gender equality and, by extension, building a healthier, happier, and more progressive society.  

The consequences of gender inequality 

Globally, approximately 2.4 billion women of working age don’t get the same economic opportunities as men. In fact, 178 countries maintain legal barriers preventing women’s full economic participation. And progress is moving slowly – according to The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2023, we are still 300 years away from gender equality

Gender equality is a human right, but there are many additional reasons people need to amplify their efforts to close the gap. Women who are not empowered economically can become trapped in a cycle of poverty, or in abusive relationships. Gender inequality can harm women’s self-esteem and mental wellbeing and discourage them from pursuing leadership roles. Many women shoulder a disproportionate share of domestic responsibilities, leading to chronic stress, burnout and exhaustion. 

Gender equality is also better for business. Studies have shown that achieving full gender equality in the workforce could add USD $28 trillion to the global annual GDP by 2025. Increasing women’s participation in the workforce could also alleviate labour shortages and stimulate a sluggish economy.

Infographic on gender equality progress: highlights global target shortfall by 2030, emphasizes early marriage and legislative quotas, and presents statistics on marriage and political representation.
UN SDG 5 Gender Equality Infographic

Equal opportunities by BestCities Global Alliance partner cities 

Business events can serve as a powerful platform to reduce gender inequality by elevating women’s voices and promoting inclusion. As a global alliance of 13 cities dedicated to creating positive impact through business events, BestCities Global Alliance is a longstanding advocate for SDG goal 5 gender equality. At the organization’s head office, for example, four out of six staff members are women. At the Strategic Board of Directors level, nine out of 13 members are women

BestCities Global Alliance partner destinations are equally committed to championing gender diversity. In Melbourne, Australia, gender equality is embedded in the events industry. Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) partners with many suppliers offering the option of all-women teams to deliver everything from exhibition builds to audiovisual technology, to film production.

One example is the annual BestCities Global Forum, which was hosted in Melbourne in January 2024. MCB hired Said & Done Media, an all-women film production crew that has worked with clients like Air Canada, FIFA World Cup, and Amazon, to capture and edit event interviews and highlights.

It went so well that MCB hired the crew again for the 2024 Asia Pacific Incentives & Meetings Event (AIME). Similarly at MCEC, event organisers can request an all-female technology team, a significant advancement with women currently representing just six per cent of the global audiovisual industry.

In Madrid, Spain, the 2024 Ecoacoustics Congress, which was held in July 2024, consciously aimed for gender equality with the knowledge that imbalanced power dynamics persist in research institutions, universities and other scientific areas.

The congress maintained equality among keynote speakers (two women and two men) as well as a high representation of women in the organizing and advisory committees. Congress organizers also encouraged attendees to report cases of inequality before, during and after this and any other congress, and pledged immediate action for reported cases. 

Banner for the 5th World Ecoacoustics Congress 2024, featuring a waveform, plants, and mountain background. Hosted by Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, July 8-12.

In June 2024, Dublin, Ireland hosted the InvestHer Summit, which aims to close the funding gap for women entrepreneurs by helping to achieve funding for one million women founders, investors, corporates and policymakers by 2030.

Organizers showcased women-owned businesses in the conference schedule, including premium chaffeur company Optimum Chauffeur Drive and Mae Restaurant. Pre- and post-conference tours were specially curated to elevate the contributions of Irish women throughout history and in contemporary society.

The conference focused on public policy change, sharing best practices from countries with gender equality/equity strategies, and zeroing in on key growth sectors where action towards gender equality is critical, including artificial intelligence, medical technology, agrifood, the space industry and more.

Advocating for equality through Incredible Impacts

BestCities’ annual Incredible Impacts Award is also a proponent of gender equality. In 2023, the winner of the $20,000 USD grant was the ACWW Women’s Empowerment Summit, which was held in Khovd, Mongolia. Among many inspiring achievements, the summit empowered over 300 women survivors of domestic violence from nomadic communities, providing them with direct support, helping them form income-generating groups, and facilitating a men’s group to engage local men in the prevention of gender-based violence. 

Incredible Impacts Award 2023 Winner: Associated Country Women of The World (ACWW) with ICCA and BestCities Global Alliance logos on a blue background with paper plane graphics.

Click here to read the case study.

The 2021 Incredible Impacts winner was Women Deliver, whose conference was held in Vancouver, Canada. A global advocate for gender equality, Women Deliver’s 2019 event was the largest in the organization’s history, attended by 8,000 people from 169 countries with a further 200,000 joining remotely. Major commitments made during the conference included a $1.4 billion annual investment from the Canadian government towards gender equality, as well as a global commitment to end female genital mutilation by 2030.

Infographic for ICCA World. Features a woman, event details for "Women Deliver Conference" in 2019, and objectives for global gender equality collaboration.

Click here to read the case study.

Achieving equality, together

BestCities Global Alliance proudly leverages its worldwide platform to support gender equality through its leadership, initiatives by partner cities, and global events. Business event leaders, stakeholders and event planners can similarly adopt gender-inclusive practices that empower women and contribute to SDG Goal 5.

With every business and person doing their part to end inequalities, together we can build a world for future generations where every person, regardless of their gender, is treated equally, fairly and respectfully. 


Related Posts:

Introduction to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

BestCities Global Alliance’s Approach to SDG Goal 3: Advocating for Global Wellbeing through Business Events

Building Inclusive, Safe, Resilient and Sustainable Cities: BestCities Global Alliance’s Commitment to UN SDG Goal 11

Leveraging Business Events for Climate Action: BestCities Global Alliance’s Approach to UN SDG Goal 13