G20 holds the first Empowerment of Women ministerial meeting in the Forum's history

Marking a historic moment in the global effort for gender equality, the G20 meeting brought together leaders from the member countries and Brazilian ministers involved in the agendas of gender equality and empowerment of women. On Friday, October 11th, the first ever ministerial meeting of the Empowerment of Women WG took place in Brasília. At the opening, the South African delegation ensured that the Working Group will continue during their presidency in 2025.

The Minister of Women, Cida Gonçalves, opened the meeting by highlighting the importance of this achievement and the participation of several Brazilian female ministers and the first lady of Brasil, Janja da Silva. The meeting was attended by ministers Esther Dweck (Management and Innovation), Luciana Santos (Science and Technology), Marina Silva (Environment), Anielle Franco (Racial Equality) and Macaé Evaristo (Human Rights and Citizenship). Cida emphasized that "this meeting marks an intense year of constructions, dialogues and negotiations on gender equality and the empowerment of women with the largest and most important economies in the world". 

Throughout 2024, technical teams met to discuss fundamental topics such as the economic and social development of women, resulting in concrete commitments to make gender equality a priority. "In this G20 space we seek commitments that put women at the heart of our countries' economic growth and development strategies that open the doors of science and technology to girls and young people," said Cida Gonçalves.

The minister spoke of the urgency of breaking down the barriers that prevent women from reaching high positions, such as gender-based violence, misogyny, and discrimination in the labor market. "It is not enough to talk about opportunities if we do not face the barriers that prevent women from reaching them," said Cida, stressing that female empowerment needs to include all women, especially the most marginalized.

Another highlight was the discussion on the central role women play in climate issues. Cida Gonçalves noted that "it is not enough to recognize that women are the most affected by climate change. We need to place them at the center of the solutions to the climate crisis". Climate action with a gender perspective was highlighted as one of the priorities, recognizing that women are fundamental in adapting to and mitigating environmental impacts.

During the meeting, Brasil's first lady, sociologist Janja Lula, highlighted the country's commitment to the women's agenda but believes that “unfortunately we still have a long way to go, especially for the implementation of gender equality”. Janja stressed the importance of ensuring that gender equality agendas are part of global public policies.

“Accessing sufficient quality food for their nutrition, work, and income to support their families is the most essential human condition for women and girls to be able to access their other rights and overcome their exclusion. It is unacceptable that we have global GDP in the trillions, but that thousands of girls and women still have to walk kilometers to get water, food and still cook with firewood, coal and kerosene, especially in the Global South”.