Significance Of W20: What Is The Way Forward For Women-Led Development

The primary significance of W20 is the endeavour toward women-led development.

In 2012, the Los Cabos Leader's Declaration progression towards women's complete economic and social participation was announced. The 2013 San Petersburg Leader's Declaration announced its intent for the financial inclusion of women and their education. 

The Brisbane Leader's Declaration in 2014 stated bringing about the participation of 100 million women in the workforce. 

In the first half of 2015, W20 was included as a part of G20 to support gender-equal economic development. Turkey was the first nation to preside over the W20 in 2015 during its Presidency. 

The goal of W20 till 2025 is to reduce by 25 percent gender inequality in terms of participation between women and men. 

Significance of W20: Aims and Objectives

The primary objective of Woman 20 is to ensure that women are included in the G20 discussion. W20 provides that the Leader's Declaration of G20 promises policies that move towards women's empowerment and development. 

W20's vision is to create a world where women share equal space and live dignified lives. The mission of W20 is to create an enabling environment without any hindrances to women-led development.

W20 strives to attain influential and impactful dialogue and feed it into the G20 work streams/ Leader’s Declaration discussions. The continuity of the Women 20 agenda is also an important goal that needs to be followed. W20 calls to action collaborate, seeks cooperation and consensus building, and communication around women empowerment.

The agenda prioritises women-led businesses, and women at the grassroots level, bridging the digital divide. Furthermore, it facilitates conversation around climate change and women's skill development and education. The Chair for W20 this year is Dr Sandhya Purecha. Among the list of Indian Delegates, we have Dr Jyoti Kiran Shukla, Professor Shamika Ravi, IPS Ms Bharati Ghosh, Actress Ms Raveena Tandon, and Advocate Ms Bansuri Swaraj. The Secretariat and Chief Coordinator for W20 is Dharitri Patnaik.

W20 and its women-driven goals also support sustainable development goals that lead toward a greener and bluer earth.

Suggested reading: India Presidency: Everything You Need To Know About G20