• Working closely with G20 members, Empower will submit a report to the G20 Leader’s Summit this weekend

Rashid Hassan

RIYADH: G20 2020 has highlighted a remarkable year for women’s advancement, Rania Nashar, chair of the Empower Alliance, said on Wednesday.

The Empowerment and Progression of Women’s Economic Representation (Empower) Alliance was launched at the G20 Osaka Summit in 2019 to promote the advancement of women in the private sector.

Speaking at a session on “Empower Alliance outcomes during the Saudi G20 presidency,” Nashar said that the Saudi presidency organized the first meeting of Empower in April this year, welcoming members and expressing strong support for women’s empowerment.

The alliance organized four meetings to promote women’s access to leadership positions.

“We have collaborated with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the International Labour Organization,” she said.

“We have also sought cooperation from companies with a global presence to provide opportunities to women in leadership positions.”

Nashar said: “It has been a remarkable year for gender equality and women empowerment. Together, we will make the difference in this field and support Empower in ensuring gender equality.”

This year the alliance developed an action plan to identify focus areas and activate its membership, while it will also conduct global research and a stocktake of relevant data and policy suggestions.

Working closely with G20 members, Empower will submit a report to the G20 Leader’s Summit this weekend.

Nashar praised the Saudi presidency for placing women’s empowerment at the center of the agenda, and said that the issue was being discussed in different G20 work streams.

She said that addressing socio-economic inequalities between men and women is a key element in the Saudi presidency’s aim of empowering people under the theme “Realizing opportunities of the 21st century for all.”