A new W20 communiqué calls for world governments to make the empowerment of women an integral part of their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis. The W20, a G20 engagement group, sprang from a meeting held at Chatham House in 2014 and the institute has been closely involved with its development and progress ever since.
The 2021 communiqué calls on the G20 to monitor progress and accountability on commitments to gender equality by:
- Placing gender equality at the heart of budgeting decisions;
- Ensuring equal representation of women at all levels of decision making;
- Collecting, analysing, and reporting on all areas of active life using gender-sensitive and disaggregated data;
- Developing gender impact assessments;
- Promoting education for women and girls by investing in infrastructure.
In the week of the G20 Ministerial meeting on Environment, Climate and Energy, the W20 communiqué recommends that governments:
- Engage women leaders and experts, including grassroots women’s organizations, in addressing climate change (as women are often the first responders to environmental crises, and agents of change in resource sustainability);
- Adopt the ‘One Health’ approach in their COVID-19 recovery plans (in which human health is understood and treated as part of the wider planetary ecosystem);
- Strengthen equal access to environmental justice and tackle discrimination that affects women’s rights and ability to adapt to climate change and other forms of environmental degradation;
- Ensure that all climate finance is gender just (delivered in a way that furthers inclusion and gender equality).
Glada Lahn, Senior Research Fellow, Energy, Environment and Resources at Chatham House said:
‘Women remain under-represented in decision-making on climate, the environment and the economy more generally. As world leaders head towards the G20 meeting on environment and climate change this week, and prepare for the UN Climate Summit later this year, doubling down on equal representation is critical.
‘I am delighted that the W20 highlights the transformative role of women in tackling our environmental and climate crises and calls for a well-being approach to economic recovery.’
Barbara Cleary and Ann-Maree Morrison, the co-chairs of the UK W20 said:
‘We welcome the inclusion of environmental sustainability as a core focus area and the importance of a fully inclusive roadmap to address the climate crisis, which is critical to life and building “forward better”.
‘The W20 Communiqué 2021 addresses many of the important equality issues, including violence against women and girls, cultural changes and gender stereotypes, women’s entrepreneurship and finance, digital and economic empowerment, and education. Further press releases will follow.’