W20 is using the 61st session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW61) in New York to present itself and its goals to an international arena. At a joint event with the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) yesterday, the W20 team told 120 representatives of governments and NGOs why W20 needs to become a strong, permanently established stakeholder group within the G20.
BMFSFJ Parliamentary State Secretary Elke Ferner is leading the German government’s delegation to CSW61. She said, “Across the world, lots of women and girls are experiencing daily how their fundamental rights are in danger. Without gender equality, prosperity and lasting success cannot be achieved.” Ferner emphasized that empowering women and girls is an important goal during Germany’s term as chair of the G20.
Mona Küppers, president of the National Council of German Women’s Organizations, made this appeal to the international audience: “We need you to bring W20 to the G20 negotiation tables.” She urged the national negotiation teams to speak with their G20 sherpas upon their return home.
Claudia Große-Leege, managing director of the Association of German Women Entrepreneurs (VdU e.V.), emphasized that the G20 sherpas are not the only negotiating partners for W20. Instead, the group has to work towards getting economic equality taken on board as a wider issue within all other dialogue processes, too.
The W20 event is available in its entirety as a Webcast on UN Web TV.
The focus of this year’s session of the Commission on the Status of Women is “Women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work”. The meeting is therefore an appropriate framework for driving W20 forward as an additional international project promoting women’s economic equality.
The civil society and women’s policy dialogue of Women20 (W20) began as Germany took over the chair of the G20 on 1 December 2016. The federal government asked the National Council of German Women’s Organizations and the Association of German Women Entrepreneurs to jointly lead the dialogue process as the official engagement group during Germany’s term as chair. Further Information about Women20 Germany is available on the website www.W20-Germany.org.
The National Council of German Women’s Organizations (Deutscher Frauenrat – DF) is an umbrella organization of more than 50 nationwide women’s associations and organizations. It is Germany’s biggest lobby for women’s political interests.
The Association of German Women Entrepreneurs (Verband deutscher Unternehmerinnen – VdU) is a cross-sector business association that has been championing the economic, social and political interests of female entrepreneurs for more than 60 years.