Salma Al Rashid, W20 Sherpa
Under Saudi Arabia's presidency and in response to the G20 Leaders’ Declaration, the Women 20 (W20), the non-governmental women’s engagement group to the G20, welcomes the G20 leaders’ commitment to lead the world “in shaping a strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive post-COVID-19 era,” which specifically recognizes the critical role for women and girls in rebuilding our economies.
According to the statement, The W20, recognizing the many pressing concerns before G20 leaders, especially during this global pandemic, is committed to supporting G20 members to achieve our mutual goals for an equitable, sustainable, balanced, and inclusive recovery from the health, social, and economic crisis the world is currently facing due to COVID-19.
We welcome the @g20org leaders’ commitment to lead the world in a sustainable and equitable recovery from the impacts of #COVID19 as well as recognizing the critical role for #women and #girls in rebuilding our economies. Read our full statement here: https://t.co/kLHESDlvr5 pic.twitter.com/ZZlq1K0rMK
— W20 Saudi Arabia (@w20org) November 24, 2020
The specific recognition of “the importance of protecting and promoting decent jobs for all, especially for women and youth” and of supporting “access to comprehensive, robust, and adaptive social protection for all, including those in the informal economy” is critical for ensuring the conscious and planned inclusion of women in the economy. Likewise, the endorsement of the G20 High-level Policy Guidelines on Digital Financial Inclusion for Youth, Women, and SMEs prepared by the Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) is key for inclusive economic growth.
"We welcome the commencement, under the Saudi Presidency, of the Private Sector Alliance for the Empowerment and Progression of Women’s Economic Representation (EMPOWER) for women’s advancement in leadership positions," the report added.
The W20 is encouraged by the G20 leaders’ call on the ILO and the OECD to continue providing technical input to support monitoring G20 progress on women’s empowerment, as called for the W20 Communiqué, and the call for the Italian Presidency to lay out a roadmap for action. Recognizing the importance of collecting sex-disaggregated data and of establishing mechanisms to track G20 gender policy commitments, the Saudi Arabian W20 Presidency, in consultation with the OECD, has initiated work on a G20 gender policy tracker: Monitoring G20 commitments on gender equality and women’s empowerment. The W20 is confident that this will be an important contribution to the G20 Italian Presidency roadmap and beyond.
In case you missed it: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman proposed to hold two annual #G20 summits –one virtual and one physical– instead of one to support the global coordination necessary to "meet any challenges and determine the economic and well-being of our peoples." pic.twitter.com/XELlA4cIK0
— About Her (@AboutHerOFCL) November 23, 2020
“Twenty-five years after world leaders gathered in Beijing to agree on the most progressive blueprint ever for advancing women's rights, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, G20 leaders must continue to diligently work toward closing the gaps that prevent gender equity at the national level,” said Dr. Thoraya Obaid, W20 Chair, recalling a previous W20 statement.
As a number of the W20 Communiqué policy recommendations are reflected in the Leaders’ Declaration, the W20 calls on G20 members to implement these recommendations at the national level. The policy recommendations included in the W20 Communiqué provide a starting point and a framework for change, but immediate action must be taken to translate the recommendations into policies on the ground in each and every country.
Despite a global pandemic, the @W20org summit is going above and beyond to push for gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.
— About Her (@AboutHerOFCL) October 22, 2020
Here's what to know about the event being led by #W20 Chair Dr. Thoraya Obeid and W20 Sherpa @Salma_alRashid: https://t.co/X4yPAuCefy pic.twitter.com/Mp5SW5jLue
“Gender parity is still an aspiration, not a reality. The COVID-19 pandemic has only heightened the need to expedite measures to promote women’s economic empowerment as a means of accelerating recovery to alleviate the adverse effects of the pandemic,” said Dr. Obaid.
“Our work is far from done. In the months and years ahead, we must keep women at the forefront in all decision-making and diligently continue our collective efforts to close the gaps that prevent gender equity.”
