G7 asked to prioritize concerns of world’s marginalized women

lives of women and girls, including on climate change, gender-based violence and sexual and reproductive health rights.

They shared many of those ideas with Trudeau in a closed-door meeting Wednesday that Delahanty described as challenging but productive.

Those in the room pressed the prime minister on everything from safe drinking water in Canada to the link between the extractive industries and violence against women, Delahanty said. Trudeau’s response, she added, hear about them,” Delahanty said.

Prior to the meeting, Trudeau gave a short speech in which he described how he hopes Canada’s commitment to advancing gender issues at the G7 will help shake things up.

“Canada is using our G7 presidency to challenge the status quo,” he said, adding that he wants the G7 gender equality council, which includes W7 highprofile members such as Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, to become a permanent part of the summit process.

Yousafzai won’t be there when the council holds its first in-person meeting in Ottawa this week, but most of the other members — including billionaire philanthropist Melinda Gates and Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund — will be in attendance.

Trudeau also told the activists he would be listening to their ideas and their concerns. “I thank you for pushing us and for never allowing anyone to get complacent.”

There is always plenty of talk about breaking the proverbial glass ceiling, Shalini Konanur, executive director of the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario, said earlier in the day. But a lot of women, their needs ignored, are being left behind to sweep up the shards, she added.

Theo Sowa, CEO of the African Women’s Development Fund, said it would be a shame to lose the momentum sparked by the #MeToo movement on sexual assault and harassment, but it is important to remember there are women and girls around the globe who have never heard of the hashtag.