The World Assembly for Women, which is being organized jointly with the International Women’s Summit (W20), will take place in Tokyo on 22–24 March 2019. Women 20 (W20) is one of the most innovative outreach formats of the G20 and which was established in May 2015 as part of the Turkish presidency. In September 2018, an open session of the W20 was held in Russia for the first time in the framework of the Second Eurasian Women’s Forum, Roscongress Foundation acted as operator of the event.
Roscongress Foundation Deputy CEO and Director for the Socio-Economic Agenda Elena Marinina, who is a member of the Eurasian Women’s Forum Council, will be part of the Russian delegation at the W20 Summit.
The activities of the W20 aim to consolidate the efforts of G20 women at the global level in order to use this international institution to fully implement gender priorities. The W20 believes that increasing women’s participation in the economy will help to implement two important priorities of the G20 – boosting productivity and improving governance, in particular the transparency of the private sector.
“The Roscongress Foundation pays a lot of attention in its activities to developing an international dialogue. In recent years, Russian-Japanese relations and the development of cooperation between Russia and Japan in the Asia-Pacific region have taken on special importance. In particular, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe has frequently taken part in events organized by the Roscongress Foundation over the past few years. The Roscongress Foundation’s involvement in the Women’s G20 is crucial to preparing for the G20 summit to be held in Japan in 2019”, Adviser to the Russian President Anton Kobyakov said.
“The issue of gender equality remains critical. Over the past decades, the gender gap in labour markets has narrowed slightly, but women still lag behind men in terms of their potential in the economy and society. Even today, 55% of women worldwide do not have their own income; the pay gap between men and women is as high as 30%. Increasing economic activity among women, enhancing their role in society, and involving them into the process of management and decision-making in all sectors of the economy will definitely boost economic growth, improve people’s quality of life, and also have a favourable effect on maintaining social stability and balance in society. Gender equality is a key factor for sustainable development,” said Svetlana Lukash, the Russian President’s representative in the G20 (Sherpa) and Deputy Head of the Russian Presidential Experts Directorate.
“Great progress has already been made in women's leadership and is celebrated at major international venues, but there is still a lot to do to achieve gender equality and utilize women’s potential in the economy more efficiently. In order to truly solve this problem and create a sustainable world, it is crucial for countries to unite their efforts, particularly now that digital technologies and artificial intelligence are not only creating a number of opportunities, but are also changing the labour market. The W20 Summit and the World Assembly for Women in Japan will once again raise the issue of women’s involvement in the digital economy and the creation of innovative women’s communities”, Roscongress Foundation Deputy CEO and Director for the Socio-Economic Agenda Elena Marinina said.
Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council Galina Karelova said the “women's theme” is firmly rooted in the G20 agenda and is traditionally discussed by world leaders. “Russia has put a lot of effort into this. In September of last year, an open session of the W20 was held for the first time in our country on the sidelines of the Second Eurasian Women’s Forum. It is crucial to continue systematic work to eliminate legal and social barriers that prevent equal access to work, eliminate digital inequality, and also actively develop modern tools for women’s entrepreneurship. The Eurasian Women’s Forum Council has prepared such proposals and submitted them to be included in the outcome document of the W20”, Karelova said.
The Roscongress Foundation’s involvement in the W20 is part of its continued work to develop the women’s agenda, promote women’s leadership, and strengthen cooperation with the international women’s communities in order to provide assistance to female leaders from various industries and organizations. This cooperation was initiated as part of the Women's Forum for the Economy and Society) last year in Paris.
