PWYP Global Assembly 2019 – report

Strengthening our Shared Resolve

None of us work alone. Despite facing daily challenges from, closing civic space, human rights violations and rising inequalities, PWYP members and partners from across the globe found commonality, solidarity and new approaches during our 2019 Global Assembly. Held in Dakar, Senegal, the three-day assembly brought together the only worldwide movement of dedicated women and men working to make the extractive sector open, accountable, sustainable, equitable and responsive to all people. It provided a unique opportunity to celebrate our collective achievements and to strengthen our global movement for transparency, citizen participation and accountability in natural resource extraction.

From power analysis and data use, to safeguarding the environment or protecting activists, delegates from over 50 countries shared a wide range of experiences, sparking ideas and learning from each other. During and between 18 sessions, we forged deeper relationships and developed our collective agenda for action and impact over the next five years. It was especially significant that
40 per cent of the 250 delegates were women. Although still not enough, this is an encouraging proportion, given that the extractive sector – and sometimes activism around it – so often fails to include women. It also reflects one of the key tenets of PWYP’s new Global Strategy 2020-2025, Vision 2025, which actively promotes gender equity at all levels across the sector.

Developed during an 18-month, global conversation in which many delegates were deeply involved, Vision 2025 sets out four goals for achieving our vision of a world in which all citizens benefit from their natural resources, today and tomorrow. It aims to make our global movement more Informed, Influential, Heard and Connected. After a highly stimulating day exploring these goals and how best to achieve them, delegates formally adopted the strategy, committing to making this vision a reality by 2025.