In 2018, the international community is facing a multitude of challenges that do not stop at national borders, since they are present in both developed and developing countries. These include inequalities, gender gaps, corruption, food insecurity, inadequate education, the future of work, full employment, poverty, child labour, forced labour, decent work in global supply chains and climate change. In this context, international spaces such as the G20 are essential to allow governments to coordinate their policies in order to start addressing these issues.

G20 Engagement Groups welcome the adoption by the G20 country members of a large number of High Level Principles, Statements, Toolkits, Roadmaps, Reports and Action Plans. We recognize the impact of these statements and commitments to address problematic and politically challenging issues.

We believe it is now time for the G20 to focus its energy on creating more enabling conditions for these commitments to be implemented and to follow up the already adopted ones by fostering concrete domestic measures. In 2014, the G20 leaders agreed on the goal of reducing the gap in labour participation rates between men and women by 25 per cent by 2025 (“25 by 25”). Despite this outstanding commitment, this goal will remain unfulfilled in 2025 unless each and every G20 country member adopts concrete and effective actions and monitors their results towards gender equity. Benefits have already been estimated: if women participated in the economy in the same way as men, there would be a 26% growth in global GDP by 2025.

We actively support the G20 goal of working towards more prosperous and inclusive societies with social justice and sustainable development. To ensure this is achieved, we urge leaders to take action to ensure the implementation of their commitments, especially by recommending that all G20 countries set out concrete strategies to foster the full participation of women in the economy and, therefore, contribute to the achievement of “25 by 25” commitment.

All engagement groups within G20 Argentina are fully committed to contribute with policy recommendations and action plans, from their own perspectives, to cooperate.