From November 29-30, 2022 took place the event's 17th annual Women's Forum Global Meeting, in Paris, France.
Under the theme, Time to act it prioritized the "HOW": How can we facilitate human connections that will strengthen equity in the world and set a standard for fair solutions?
This year the forum was focusing on 3 main pillars: climate, health, and peace. The urgency to tackle the far-reaching consequences of climate change has been expressed by multiple actors across politics, economy, and society at the international level. The Covid-19 pandemic, as well as increasing threats to women’s sexual and reproductive rights, have highlighted the necessity to act for inclusive health systems globally. The rise of conflicts and violence has stressed the importance, more than ever, to address the needs of women and girls and implement gender-sensitive peace processes. The organizers are convinced that international and multi-stakeholder cooperation is essential to finding equitable and inclusive solutions, particularly around 3 crucial areas: climate, health and peace.
THE KEY TAKEAWAYS OF DAY 1 WERE:
CLIMATE
Every minute, an average of 1,000,000 plastic bottles are sold - this strong statement from Rosalie Mann emphasizes a critical issue in our society: environmental damage. We need to raise awareness and make the push for clean energy more visible. As Mary Robinson said, "You can make climate change personal in your life. Get angry against the ones who don’t and take action."
HEALTH
The stigma around mental health is part of our everyday culture, especially in the workplace. The COVID pandemic highlighted the topic of mental health, which has luckily become a priority now. We need to have the courage to discuss our mental health and experiences openly.
PEACE
#WomanLifeFreedom: Iran, what next? In the final session, the speakers shared that the international community needs to maintain pressure to ensure a better future for all Iranians: As Roya Boroumand shared, "We are not just the Muslim world, just as the West is not just the Christian world, we are diverse... these young people resisting the government, who are suffering - they need your help".
KEY TAKEAWAYS OF DAY 2:
CLIMATE
“When you take public transportation instead of taking your car, you will have 60 times fewer carbon emissions per traveler and kilometer” - a daily step we can take from Hiba Farès, CEO, of RATP Développment. the speakers highlighted that we must look at the sources of climate inequality and how we can tackle them together. "We won’t achieve the climate transition if we don’t address climate justice," said Florence Tondu-Mélique, CEO, of Zurich Insurance.
HEALTH
"Health needs to be a CEO issue, not an HR issue" as Nancy Brown, CEO of, the American Heart Association. When it comes to employee well-being, the key challenge for companies is to provide visible signs to show the employees they care - not only in the tools but also in the daily management. To quote Thomas Buberl, CEO of AXA, “Take 30 minutes for yourself every day."
PEACE
"When women in conflict have the opportunity to come together, they realize they have more in common than what separates them," stated Sanam Naraghi-Anderlin, CEO of, the International Civil Society Action Network. In Europe, "Ukraine is interested in sustainable peace... leave our land and there would be no threat for our future" shared Yuliya Hvozdovych, 2022 Women's Forum Rising Talent. It is crucial to address the needs of women and girls and implement gender-sensitive peace processes.
The event welcomed 2300 participants in Paris and 30,000 viewers online. With attendees hailing from 145 countries, this was its most geographically diverse Global Meeting ever.
It welcomed 230+ speakers from across regions, cultures, and sectors, who shared their insights and inspiration across 85 sessions.
The forum published the 2022 Women's Forum Barometer, a real-time information tool that measures the perception of gender equality compared to real data. Discover the Barometer here.
It gathered more than 50 CEOs at the Global Meeting as part of its CEO Champions initiative, They took part in a workshop and demonstrated its commitment to promoting women's advancement in the private and public sectors.
The event revealed the 40 awardees of its French Women Entrepreneurs 40 initiative which highlights growing French companies run by women.
The event met 19 Rising Talents who participated from 13 countries, having been selected from a competitive pool of 1400 applicants. The 2022 Rising Talents inspired for their accomplishments and drive to have a positive impact across their sectors and countries.
It met the 17 finalists of the WE4G Initiative supporting women-led projects in the green economy, who have completed all stages of their 2022 program.
It launched 3 Women's Forum Daring Circles reports, including "How to make Inclusive AI a reality: a Call to Action" by the Women4AI Daring Circle, the updated Women4ClimateAction Toolkit "Women leading Climate Action" and the Women4Health "Manifesto on Gender and a healthy, green economy.
It received 60 Youth Ambassadors as part of its Youth Initiative, who took part in a tailor-made workshop and took the floor to speak in front of businesses, political leaders, and the media. They heard pitches from the top 3 teams of the Tech4Women Challenge, which saw 575 participants from 54 nationalities and 145 international schools.
The Women’s Forum (a Publicis Groupe company) is truly a unique place. It’s a place of tremendous interpersonal exchanges, where men and women can network and brainstorm for good in an atmosphere of fantastic energy and optimism.
Amidst an epidemic of discrimination and violence against women and girls in Iran, Afghanistan, and Ukraine, as well as attacks on reproductive rights in the United States, the Women’s Forum wanted to highlight the urgency to find inclusive solutions. We need a new strategy.
As individuals, we cannot hold ourselves back from reaching our full potential. It is vital for women, and particularly girls to be free of self-doubt and self-imposed taboos.
Anne- Gabrielle Heilbronner, president of the Women´s Forum for the Economy and Society, pointed out that we have what it takes to do the necessary work to advance gender equality. As I said during the Global Meeting if there is one thing we should remember, it’s that this community of people are all problem solvers – so let’s solve the problems.
