If not now, when? Saudi call for global women’s equality

Chair of W20 summit delivers communique with raft of policy recommendations to drive female empowerment

The Saudi chair of W20, the women’s engagement group of the G20, on Wednesday urged the world to embrace female empowerment and equality.

“Dare to imagine a world where women’s equality is a reality and where social, economic and political justice are enjoyed by all,” Thoraya Obaid said at the opening of the two-day W20 “virtual” summit hosted in Riyadh.

“If not now, as the whole world is faced with the uphill climb of economic recovery, then when?” she said. Obaid delivered the summit communique to Saudi Commerce Minister Majid Al-Qasabi, who is also chair of the G20 group on trade and investment.

The communique contains a raft of recommendations to address systemic inequalities that have limited women’s empowerment and paves the way for economic ic recovery from the coronavirus with women as equal partners.

“Women are the main n source of development for any society. Hence, without t empowered women, it t is almost impossible to implement any so- cietal reforms,” AlQasabi said.

“Women played a crucial role in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic globally by working in the front lines, as women represent more than 70 percent of health care workers.”

Al-Qasabi said research suggested that women had been more affected than men by the economic consequences of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic because so many women worked in sectors such as tourism, air travel, transport, hospitality, and retail.

“In fact, we are witnessing these ramifications as the world is undergoing major technological transformations affecting trade, health, education, manufacturing, and public services,” he said.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia strongly believes that sound economic recovery to overcome the impacts of the pandemic cannot be achieved without comprehensive social and economic programs for women that achieve gender equality and create opportunities that enable success, along with our commitment and focus on overcoming this pandemic.

“The preparedness of our country for a brighter future requires an inclusive approach that empowers women,” the minister said.

Dare to imagine a world where women’s equality is a reality. Thoraya Obaid