The WOW Foundation has announced its first ever worldwide online festival focused on women and girls.

WOW Global 24 was created in response to the separation, deprivation and inequalities brought about and exacerbated by COVID-19 and highlighted by the Black Lives Matter movement.

Running across all time zones over 24 hours, the virtual festival, will be curated by teams from all over the world including the US, Pakistan, Turkey, Jordan, Nigeria, the UK, Brazil, Australia and India, exploring both localised and international issues. 

Viewers can tune into one of two channels, the Global Channel and the Local Channel, which will stream live and simultaneously over the 24 hour period.

The Global Channel will concentrate on six themes: education, justice, climate, health, the economy and violence, and the local channel will feature contributes from countries that are part of the WOW movement.

WOW founder Jude Kelly said: “Now more than ever, we need to find community; to connect women, civil society and governments and make women’s stories central to future planning across the globe. This is an opportunity to join hands, listen and ask, ‘what do we need to change, and how?’

“Like many others, The WOW Foundation has had to go from live events to full online broadcasting in a matter of weeks, adapting to the technical challenge of lockdown. It is important that we utilise digital resources to connect women and girls in a time where existing issues of gender inequalities are exposed and exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis.”

WOW Global 24 comes as the foundation’s festivals mark their 10th anniversary. The theme of the international online event will be Women and Girls in a Time of Crisis and bring together activists, thinkers, artists, educators and more to explore how society can change thought into action.

WOW will respond to the world’s current events, including racial injustice, and the disproportionate impact the pandemic is having on women and girls, particularly those already marginalised.

WOW Global 24 will be available to watch from 27 to 28 June for free live via thewowfoundation.com.