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The EQUALS global partnership was launched in 2016 by the International Telecommunication Union and four founding partners – GSMA, the International Trade Centre, the United Nations University and UN Women – EQUALS contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Agenda through actions and evidence-based research aimed at closing the global gender digital divide. Now made up of more than 90 partners and growing fast, EQUALS uses a multidisciplinary approach that integrates research, policy and programming to promote gender equality in technology access, skills and leadership, as well as conducting ground-breaking, evidence-based research.
EQUALS-EU is part of the EQUALS global partnership for gender equality in the digital age. EQUALS-EU aims to give more women access to technology, digital skills and leadership positions. The ambition is to promote justice and equality, as well as build capacity through multilateral partnerships and create smart, sustainable and inclusive social innovation ecosystems in local communities in the global North and South. The project will help to build gender inclusive innovation ecosystems that can cultivate a new generation of female inventors. It will also address the economic, social and cultural roots of gender inequality that affect education, employment and social life. More specifically, Equals EU will initiate 24 new start-ups led by women.