DUBAI — As leaders prepare to meet for the G20 Summit this November, young women from around the world are uniting to demand the G20 Leaders consider the realities facing young women in their agenda and final Communiqué.

In 2020, girls and women are watching progress toward gender equality slip away. As businesses close, millions of women’s jobs have disappeared and the disruption to education is preventing girls from continuing school. Young women — specifically, ages 18-29 — are at the greatest risk of being permanently shut out of the economy. At the current rate, gender equality will not be achieved in their lifetimes.

Throughout October 2020, 27 young women representing the G20 member and guest countries congregated online to develop the G(irls)20 Communiqué composed of 12 urgent recommendations for consideration at the upcoming G20 Leaders' Summit.

These recommendations urge the G20 Leaders to commit to reaffirming and catalyzing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #5 “achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” and range from “combatting the rise of offline and online violence against women” to “enabling young women’s entrepreneurship in COVID-19”.

G(irls)20’s Acting co-CEO, Bailey Greenspon, said: “Without meaningful intervention now, an entire generation will lose the chance to achieve equality. Young women are using the tools at their disposal during COVID-19 to make noise and ensure G20 Leaders are listening. Their voices are critical in the COVID-19 recovery and we must listen.”

The G20 is an international forum for the governments and central bank governors from 19 countries and the European Union to collaborate on policies to promote economic growth and stability.

On Nov. 21-22, the G20 will be hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where leaders will come together for a high-level discussion about: empowering people, safeguarding the planet and shaping new frontiers.

G(irls)20 is a Canada-based, global charity working internationally to center the voices of young women in decision-making spaces, including the G20 Summit.

G(irls)20 works to ensure that the voices of young women are represented in high-level policies so that gender equality is a priority in G20 decision-making and in COVID-19 recovery plans. — SG