Women submit recommendations for G20 summit
W20, the G20’s women’s engagement group, on Tuesday (Oct. 1) delivered a document with recommendations for the summit meeting of heads of state, scheduled to take place in Rio de Janeiro in November this year. The document was handed over to the Brazilian government, which temporarily chairs the G20, by acting Minister for Women Maria Helena Guarezi and Racial Equality Minister Anielle Franco, at an event at Rio’s Municipal Theater.
The list comprises 26 recommendations to the G20 governments, divided into five main areas: women’s entrepreneurship; the care economy; women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; women and climate justice; and ending violence against women and children.
“We’re tired of talking. We want action. We want the G20 leaders to listen to our voices and incorporate our agendas for good. […] We will no longer accept being left behind,” said W20 President Ana Fontes.
With regard to ending violence, the group calls for efforts to prevent the impunity of aggressors and violence of various kinds, including domestic violence, labor violence, economic violence, and violence facilitated by technology.
The collective also demands funding for protection and early intervention and response services, and that official data on femicide and all forms of gender-based violence be disseminated.
Climate change
On the subject of climate change, the W20 urges subsidizing women-led climate ventures, training women to respond to disasters, and placing them in leadership roles.
It also recommends that women be present as negotiators and decision-makers at the Conferences of the Parties (COP) and other multilateral gatherings on climate change.
“We can no longer discuss global governance without the effective participation of women. This is our next challenge: to make sure that we are there to help decide, not only within the G20, but across all other bodies that discuss climate or any other issues,” said Minister Maria Helena Guarezi. The Brazilian government, she said, will make an effort to include the group’s agenda in the final declaration of the G20 heads of state.
For the care economy, among the initiatives named is valuing the work of caregivers for children, the elderly, and the disabled, both paid and unpaid. Investments in care services and infrastructure accessible to all were also suggested.
As for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), the W20 calls for academic funding, scholarships, and more job opportunities for women. With regard to female entrepreneurship, the group requests credit and tax incentives for businesses.
Raquel Ribeiro, a representative of the Ministry of Entrepreneurship, Micro, and Small Businesses, believes that the concrete possibilities for action presented by the W20 are closely linked to the objectives of Brazil’s National Strategy for Female Entrepreneurship – Elas Empreendem.
“This indicates that we are on the right track. It also makes it clearer that building answers to the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs necessarily requires a special look at the dimensions of race and ethnicity, as well as other cross-sectional issues," she argued.
G20 Brazil Sous-Sherpa Felipe Hees also received a copy of the document and highlighted the Brazilian government’s commitment to bringing the women’s agenda to the summit of heads of state. A working group to focus on women’s empowerment was formed for the first time under Brazil’s presidency, he noted. Unlike the engagement group, the working group brings together government representatives.
