G20 India: Empowering Women through deliberations & dialogues
The primary objective is to ensure that gender considerations are mainstreamed into G20 discussions and translated into the G20 Leaders’ Declaration as policies and commitments that foster gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.
India, the chair country of the G20 Summit this year, has been upfront about empowering women and holding deliberations regarding them through its presidency. The G20 EMPOWER Summit is one such initiative that is aimed at taking forward the subject.
The G20 EMPOWER Summit is set to take place on August 1, 2023, at the Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The summit, organised around the theme- “Women-Led Development: ensuring a sustainable, inclusive, and equitable global economic growth”, aims to bring change through deliberations and dialogues with global experts, policymakers and stakeholders.
Previously, under G20 EMPOWER 2023, two international level meetings were held in February and April 2023 in India. G20 EMPOWER 2023 has been organizing various engagements at the national level on a wide range of topics related to Empowerment and Progression of Women’s Economic Representation. It is also working to bridge the gender digital divide by providing women with the digital skills and knowledge they need to thrive in today’s technology-driven world, through Tech Equity, an aggregator platform.
Further, the Summit discusses the transformative role of women in leadership positions and how they redefine the norms and expectations of leadership. It emphasizes the importance of placing women at the center of decision-making to ensure a better future for all.
How G20 attempts to EMPOWER women
Women20 (W20) and the EMPOWER Summit under G20 are specifically dedicated to women and their inclusion for the development. The G20 EMPOWER Summit is a landmark event that underscores the critical role of women in driving global economic growth and will help to create a more inclusive and equitable world.
The Ministry of Women and Child Development is the nodal Ministry for EMPOWER which is the G20 Alliance for Empowerment and Progress of Women’s Economic Progression. It is a private sector led initiative under the Sherpa Track that aims to accelerate women’s leadership and empowerment in the private sector across G20 countries.
Women’s Empowerment: A Win-Win for Equity and Economy
The G20 EMPOWER 2023 under India’s presidency aims to take forward India’s women-led development agenda. Women’s Empowerment is not only an issue of social justice but also an economic imperative. The G20 members represent over 80% of the world’s GDP, 75% of international trade, and 60% of the world’s population. Given its critical role in the global economy, the G20 holds a strategic role in securing future global economic growth and prosperity, with a huge potential to deliver on women’s empowerment and gender equality.
In society, women play a crucial role; without their advancement, society as a whole would cease to advance. Women’s development has been recognised to lead to prosperous societies overall. Women’s empowerment is the key to ensuring society’s overall expansion. In this respect, the Indian Government has also brought various initiatives like Stand-Up India, PM MUDRA Yojana, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, POSHAN Abhiyaan, increasing the scope of entrepreneurship among women Self-Help Groups, etc.
The primary objective is to ensure that gender considerations are mainstreamed into G20 discussions and translated into the G20 Leaders’ Declaration as policies and commitments that foster gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.
