The Sustainable Development Goals represents a new tennis game that needs to be played with different balls. Is not really about global institutions imposing rules to national Governments, but an open and colourful game on learning, exchange, an exercise of tolerance and respect to individualities, and Nations´traditions. Different roads and mechanisms to get to the same destiny: gender equality.

The measure for achieving the SDG5 is the level of empowerment of each woman, therefore their capacity to take decisions, a conclusion that leaves many questions because individual freedom is not just about one measurement but many, accordingly to traditions, culture, religion and individual perception. Enable an environment of empowerment is the true goal, rather than only one standard on gender equality. The capacity to build a creative change is also about new colours that shape an innovative institutional, and leadership framework.

If we compare with the other SDGs the differences become clear, e.g on poverty reduction, even if each country may design their own needs, reducing the rate is a common goal, equal for all. Instead, for gender equality, different outcomes are what may be expected. Is for this reason that we propose to work on SDG5 with an especial emphasis on bottom-up initiatives and local diversity. Building a true “incubators¨ model for women empowerment through digital platforms structured directly by the civil society. The capacity to guide women and men into a new dimension is also about learning how to get empowered and deliver empowerment by using the resources available: digital tools. Is it not about skills, but gathering different talents/professional profiles and creating new skills that allow connecting differently than before. 

Equality is a new concept that demands new approaches. Is in that sense that we need revolutionary training and tools that make a difference from the past. Digital platforms are that tools able to deliver positive results in the short term within individual action and an open mindset to the new. Making them a true driver to change by a voluntary commitment towards global networking, influencing the process faster and diverse from the own local needs, not just public policies or global initiatives.

SG5 gender equality demands to be focused on the process rather than on the outcome as the change will come differently from each country. There is no SDG5, but SDG5 Afghanistan, SDG5 Japan SDG5 Spain. Releasing political leaders to pursue a global standard by opening the stage to new leaderships, especially at the community level, within a national context. Is it so, that we strongly believe in the concept of national gender equality sovereignty, centered on political will and creative leadership rather than replicating models from other societies. 

Equality is an ideological concept that changes accordingly to the lenses that we see it. Religion and politics are those elements that make each Nation ideologically different in terms of equality goals and would eventually slow down the achievement of SDG5 if we . Although equality supposes the same for all, once we measure individual freedom in a specific societal context we realise that the true value is becoming “equally diverse”. 

Is expected that equality would be achieved in 60 years for Western Europe and 160 for the Middle East, which means: no Agenda 2030 if there is no awareness of the need to connect and exchange before setting global standards. Introducing new concepts is a slow process in itself but may become faster if its based on knowledge exchange and connections. Main principles that shape a society differently and boost a new wave to address SDGs from the real needs: the people. 

Digital resources made it possible, we only need the capacity to organise and open their mindsets to a new structure. The idea of an incubator comes as a way to help build small networks among their peers under a big global structure that allows them to learn, exchange, and make knowledge exchange and Social Media a way to get new skills.

We must democratise the process to the point that all stakeholders are equal in leadership including citizens. Building empowerment cycles powered by the citizenship rather than the public sector. After the new challenges that COVID19 brought we get into into two basic conclusions: digitalisation is the way out to empower resiliently and women become more vulnerable than men during crises. Aspects that set the tone on equality goal:  from global to local, from public to private, from vindictive to personal empowerment. Basically from activism to advocacy, enter into all layers of the society through tools like Social Media, available for all and adapted to each culture. Becoming true influencers and owners on the road towards empowerment.

Is imperative to make sure that there is no political, religious, or bias in any shape. Particularly thinking on the impact in Middle East countries, we can not expect that equality is it just about one goal but a global framework within multiple cultures Respecting diversity and the sense of a national gender equality sovereignty that use global digital networking as a driver to change. 

Because there is no successful model on equality but a successful society that achieves their own goal on SDG5 within their challenges and historical momentum. 

Focused on the journey, not the destiny: tolerance is what really would open our mindsets towards global equality.