G20 women’s group focuses on importance of inclusion

W20 highlights the economic and social benefits of empowerment efforts

In its final communique ahead of the main G20 Summit next month, the forum’s Women 20 (W20) engagement group highlighted the importance of inclusion.

The group identified four key types of inclusivity, the first three of which are in financial matters, in the labor force, and digital inclusion.

“The fourth that we added was inclusion in decision-making because we felt women need to be at the decision-making table, to be able to bring all the community together when (a female leader) sits at the table. We talked about the different levels of community leadership,” said Thoraya Obaid, the Saudi chair of the W20. “The other issue that we brought up is entrepreneurship … because this is an area that is on the rise and they need a great deal of support, from finance to networking to digital.”

During last year’s W20 summit in Japan, the delegates called for greater accountability. Obaid said this year’s participants agree with this and have developed the idea with the aim of “holding the G20 leaders accountable for decisions that they have made in terms of empowering women.”

Obaid was speaking on Wednesday at the W20 Summit, during a session titled “Nordic Perspective: The Economic Benefits of Women’s Empowerment,” which was moderated by Noor Nugali, assistant editor in chief of Arab News. It aimed to highlight the economic benefits of including women in the workforce and inspire the ongoing efforts to empower women by considering the experiences of the Nordic nations in these areas.

“We simply cannot achieve 100 percent of our potential by only using 50 percent of our human resources,” said Niclas Trouvé, Sweden’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Yemen. “Therefore, women’s empowerment is not only the right thing to do, it’s also the smart thing to do, especially from an economic point of view.

“This is not about transferring jobs from men to women, nor is it primarily a women’s issue. This is about tapping into the potential of economic growth hidden behind barriers to women’s participation —economic growth that will benefit both men and women.

“After all, no engine can run effectively on only half of its cylinders. We simply don’t get very far with half of the batteries charged. We would probably get stuck in the desert.”

The envoy noted that the global pandemic has had devastating socioeconomic effects on women and girls. He said that the unemployed and those who work at home caring for and nursing others, often unpaid, are among the most vulnerable groups during times of crisis.

“Most of these groups are largely made up of women,” he added. “This is yet another reason why we need to strengthen our work toward global economic equality.”

Trouvé said he is proud that Nordic countries have been champions of gender equality and the empowerment of women for many years.

We simply cannot achieve 100 percent of our potential by only using 50 percent of our human resources.

Niclas Trouvé

Swedish ambassador