On June 15 and 16, the summit of the Women 20 group, made up of the delegations of the 20 G20 countries, was held in Mahabalipuram, India. The Women 20 (Mujeres 20) is the group of representatives of civil society organizations of women and feminists linked to the G20. These civil society groups linked to the G20 exist and are important in relation to the mobilization in which, depending on the country and the characteristics of the civil society organizations and the feminist movement, in the case of the W20, the statement that They will deliver to the heads of state of the G20 with the proposals of the particular aspects of each group. In the case of the W20, they are to promote and advance gender equality.
There are several teams that bring together different sectors of society, for example, youth, workers, the business sector, thought-provoking groups, civil society organizations and women. They were organized to allow the G20 leaders to have inputs and opinions from those who, due to their level of interest, are the voices that must be heard in order to adopt measures that are based on the information and needs transmitted by the interested parties themselves. This association was the last to be established in Brisbane, Australia, and since its creation, the main objective is to achieve the economic empowerment of women.
This year, under the chairmanship of India, the W20 considered the theme of economic empowerment with a strong focus on promoting the entrepreneurship of women, including women entrepreneurs, by fostering access to credit, the ability to manage banking management and economic education to achieve their autonomy. Special attention was paid to the issue of digital management by women, in order to emphasize education in science, technology, mathematics and engineering, STEM -according to the acronym in English- and promote the ability to manage ICT and equipment, both for employment and educational development.
The issue of health was present, and especially the strong link with development and the environment was recognized. The need to attend to and guarantee sexual and reproductive rights that affect the performance of women at work, professionally and in all areas in which women and girls develop throughout their lives. Likewise, the importance of the care economy was recognized and how unpaid care, which is mainly carried out by women and girls in all their diversity, must be incorporated into economic considerations and into national accounts. World leaders were also recommended to adopt care policies that range from child care and extend to care for the elderly, sick people and people with limited capacities. Attentive to activities carried out mainly by women, the recognition of these professions is sought and the generation of decent jobs for them, which ensure adequate income and social security coverage. The G20 should propose and incorporate these initiatives in all countries.
In the G20 there is a diversity of countries with different cultures and traditions, many based on religions that allow considering the great variety. Faced with the needs of the countries, the demands and aspects that women and girls, including all in their plurality that encompasses gender differences and the Lgbtqi+ collective, are equal and have common aspects that favor sharing and ensuring them for all. It is interesting to see the diversity in dress and in the way of behaving, but as in the annual meeting at the UN of the Commission on the Status of Women -CSW-, we are united by the same aspirations and needs: to achieve equality of gender and eliminate all discrimination.