G20 leaders’ declaration commits to halving digital gender gap by 2030

The G20 reaffirms that gender equality is of fundamental importance, and that investing in the empowerment of all women and girls, has a multiplier effect in implementing the 2030 agenda.

The G20 Leaders’ Summit taking place on September 9-10 has shone a spotlight on the transformative power of women-led development with the declaration, which was adopted by consensus on Saturday, committed to halving the digital gender gap by 2030 and agreed to create a working group on empowerment of women which will convene its first meeting during the next Brazilian Presidency.

“We commit to halve the digital gender gap by 2030. To this end, we will address gender norms and barriers to accessibility, affordability, adoption, and usage of digital technologies; promote regulatory policy frameworks that enable all women and girls to actively participate in the formulation and implementation of national digital strategies, including enhancing digital literacy and skills,” the G20 Leaders’ Declaration stated.

The G20 leaders agreed to create a new working group on empowerment of women to support the G20 Women’s Ministerial and look forward to the convening of its first meeting during the Brazilian G20 Presidency.

The declaration said that the G20 leaders arrived at a consensus to “identify and eliminate all potential risks that women and girls encounter from increased digitalisation, including all forms of online and offline abuse, by encouraging the adoption of safety-by-design approaches in digital tools and technologies; promote and implement gender-responsive policies to create an enabling, inclusive, and non-discriminatory digital economy for women-led and -owned businesses, including MSMEs".

The leaders will focus on encouraging and supporting initiatives by identifying, funding, and accelerating proven solutions, “thereby improving women’s livelihoods and income security,” the declaration read.

“The G20 reaffirms that gender equality is of fundamental importance, and that investing in the empowerment of all women and girls, has a multiplier effect in implementing the 2030 Agenda,” the leadership summit document read.

The leaders via the declaration have also reaffirmed their commitment to achieving the Brisbane Goal to reduce the gap in labour force participation and implementing the G20 roadmap towards and beyond the Brisbane Goal ‘25 by 25’ and have asked the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to report progress annually.

The countries have committed to focusing on ensuring equal access to quality-affordable education, promoting meaningful participation of women in employment opportunities, promoting investment in the availability and accessibility of social protection, and in affordable care infrastructure to address the unequal distribution in paid and unpaid care and domestic work.

Consensus was also built on securing women’s food security, nutrition, and well-being in the Leaders’ Summit.

“We commit to eliminate gender-based violence including sexual violence, harassment, discrimination and abuse against women and girls both online and offline, and ensure safe workplaces in this regard,” the declaration read.

The G20 countries will also work on driving gender-inclusive climate action, support and increase women’s participation, decision-making and leadership in climate change mitigation along with supporting gender-responsive and environment-resilient solutions, including water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) solutions, it added.