GLOW Red from the beginning

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Why was GLOW Red started?

GLOW Red was born out of the realization that, over the last 40 years many decisions and resolutions had been made to encourage women’s equal participation in leadership, but that little had changed. The Red Cross Red Crescent movement is still, by large, being represented by men at the top level. GLOW Red was created to ensure that the movement “walks the talk” in terms of increasing their efforts in identifying, supporting and promoting women into senior leadership positions.

Where did GLOW Red get started?

The idea behind GLOW Red got it’s start at the December 2017 RCRC Statutory Meetings in Antalya, Turkey. In response to the lack of female candidates standing for election to the Governing Board, an impromptu meeting of women leaders took place.

A decision was developed, written and approved within the same day, calling for all parts of the Movement to take concrete measures to address the question of gender equality. A total of 102 National Societies sponsored the decision which was taken at the General Assembly that same day and confirmed in the Council of Delegates the day after.

The General Assembly decision:

  1. requests the Governing Board to take concrete measures to address this issue and report back to the 22nd Session of the General Assembly,
  2. calls on National Societies, to significantly increase their efforts to identify, support and promote women into senior leadership positions,
  3. calls on National Societies to identify and propose women into Federation governance roles immediately;

The Council of Delegates decision:

  1. commits to supporting the achievement of the objectives and actions required under the decision;
  2. calls upon the ICRC, the IFRC, National Societies and the Standing Commission to take concrete measures to address the question of gender equality and equal opportunities at all levels of their own leadership, and to report back on progress at the next Council of Delegates in 2019.

 

Making GLOW a Reality: Stockholm Meeting, April 2018

Following the momentous passing of the Council of Delegates resolution and General Assembly decision, GLOW Red decided to formally organize. The first GLOW Red Network meeting took place in Stockholm in April 2018. This meeting was attended by 28 women leaders from around the globe.

The purpose of this meeting was to establish the network and to agree upon a plan of action. All participants in the meeting committed to go back to their National Societies and regions to start implementing the plan of action. We committed to engage participants in all regional and global meetings in the follow up to the resolution. The network is open for and welcome the engagement by all women leaders in governance and management in the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement globally.

Watch a video from the meeting here!