Successful conclusion of Saudi Arabia W20 presidency as leadership transfers to Italy in 2021
RIYADH – December 10, 2020
With the presidency of the G20 moving to Italy in 2021, the chair of the Women’s Group 20 (W20), a non-governmental G20 participant group, will move from Saudi Arabia to Italy. The W20 brings together a transnational network of delegates representing women’s NGOs, civil society, women entrepreneurs, companies and think tanks across G20 member states and works to ensure that gender considerations are mainstreamed into G20 discussions and translated to annual G20 leaders.
On December 12, the W20 Troika, which includes delegates from the past (Japan in 2019), current (Saudi Arabia in 2020) and the future (Italy in 2021), along with other W20 delegates, will meet to commemorate the coronation of the successful Saudi W20 presidency and officially hand over the leadership role to Italy along with a comprehensive brochure to help ensure a smooth transition. Participants will discuss the achievements of 2020 and ways to continue the momentum towards gender equality and women’s empowerment in 2021. In 2022, Indonesia will be the host, so the troika will shift accordingly to include Saudi Arabia, Italy and Indonesia.
In the fifth year of W20, and against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, an unprecedented global health crisis that has disproportionately affected women and exacerbated gender inequality, the group accelerated its efforts and urged G20 leaders to take advantage of this opportunity to prioritize gender inclusion in economic recovery. The W20’s work over the past year culminated in the release of the W20 Statement, which is a series of actionable, gender-inclusive policy recommendations that will be essential to recover from the health, social and economic crisis the world is currently facing due to Covid-19. The W20 welcomed the G20 Leaders’ Declaration issued last month, which reflected a number of the policy-related recommendations of the W20 Statement in the commitment of G20 leaders to lead the world in “shaping a strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive era after Covid-19”, and which specifically recognized the critical role of women in rebuilding global economies.
“It has been both an honor and a great responsibility to host the W20 during such a crucial year. Today, on International Human Rights Day, we are reflecting on the progress that the W20 continues to make toward women’s empowerment and gender inclusivity as we transition the presidency to Italy. Our work is far from done, and in the months and years ahead, we must keep women at the forefront of all decision-making. We look forward to working closely with the Italian delegation and are confident that they will continue to build on the W20 legacy,” said Dr. Thoraya Obaid, W20 Chair.
“I am honored to take on the role of Chair of the W20 Engagement Group in 2021, and I am looking forward to working with the Troika to continue the momentum set by previous presidencies, especially following the leadership of W20 Saudi Arabia 2020. Although the Covid-19 pandemic has severely impacted women, they have shown their strength in many vital sectors which previously were not considered important. The W20 Italy will take on the challenge to ensure women are at the forefront of policies at global and national levels, and no woman is left behind,” said incoming W20 Chair, Dr. Laura Linda Sabbadini.
Facing unprecedented challenges due to the pandemic, the W20 convened its first virtual summit in October in order to share, innovate, accelerate, and inspire dynamic solutions to advancing women towards a more equitable future. By transitioning the W20 Summit from in-person to an online forum, the group was able to extend its reach to the largest and most diverse audience the W20 has seen to date, convening over 1,300 people with registrants from 52 countries. The recordings of all summit sessions can be found on the W20 YouTube channel.
Throughout the year, the W20 Saudi Arabia worked with partners to conduct research and publish a number of reports such as, If Not Now, When? A Roadmap Towards a More Gender-equitable Economic Recovery, with Accenture Research, Women Entrepreneurs, An Action Plan to ‘Build Back Better’ in collaboration with ITC, ICC and UPS and Tackling Discriminatory Social Institutions to Pave the Way Towards Women’s Full Inclusion and Gender Equality in G20 Countries, with the OECD Development Centre.
Over the course of the W20 Saudi Presidency, Alnahda Society, this year’s host organization, held a series of National Dialogues in Riyadh, Jeddah, and the Eastern Province that were structured around the W20’s main focus areas: inclusive decision-making, labor inclusion, financial inclusion, and digital inclusion, with women’s entrepreneurship as a cross-cutting theme. The resulting report that is based on scientific evidence, international best practices, unique data sources and a participatory process, represents the diverse voices of women in Saudi Arabia and outlines a series of recommendations that Alnahda Society will work to implement to further women’s equality in Saudi Arabia.
As the W20 presidency transitions to Italy, Saudi Arabian representatives, including those from Alnahda Society, will remain involved through their participation as delegates of Saudi Arabia to the W20 and as part of the Troika to continue their critical efforts to empower women socially and economically.
