Deputy Prime Minister Alexander De Croo leads #HeForShe-team at the Brussels 20km

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Development Cooperation Alexander De Croo ran the Brussels 20km today. He led a team of more than 100 #HeForShe runners. The team was brought together by the United Nations to raise more awareness about gender equality and the role men can play in it.

#HeForSHe is the UN Women solidarity movement trying to convince men to contribute to a world where gender equality is the rule. Since the end of 2015 Alexander De Croo is an official #HeForShe advocate. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Human Rights Declaration the #HeForShe movement is putting the spotlights on gender equality as a human right.

Alexander De Croo: "I feel priviliged to take the lead of the #HeForShe team. It is of utmost importance that boys and men undertake action and contribute to more gender equality. Every voice counts, including the voices of boys and men, because only by breaking the silence, gender equality can become a reality."

Important priority for Belgium

Gender equality is one of the priorities of the Belgian Development Cooperation. Last year, Belgium was one of the countries launching She Decides, the movement advocating the choice of women in family planning. The movement was a reaction to the decision of president Trump to cut funding of organizations defending the right on abortion and family planning.

To inform the international community about the consequences of the American decision and to mobilize funding for the organizations in order to continue their work, Minister De Croo organized the international She Decides conference in Brussels. The conference raised 181 million euros for family planning. One and a half year later, 450 million euros have been raised. Minister De Croo mobilized already 30 million euros for the She Decides initiative.