Gandhinagar, 8 August 2023. The Group of Twenty (G20) EMPOWER Indian Presidency has concluded the Summit that took place in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, (1/8). Continuing the focus that has been built in the previous presidency, the Indian presidency has further strengthened the basis of perspective on the position and role of women in development. Representing Indonesia were the Deputy for Gender Equality of the Ministry of PPPA, Lenny N. Rosalin, Chair of G20 EMPOWER Indonesia, Yessie. D. Yosetya, and Co-Chair of G20 EMPOWER Indonesia, Rina Prihatiningsih.
This conference marked the achievement of tangible results. In addition, it was reinforced by the identification of commitments and recommendations on G20 EMPOWER under the Indian presidency. First, education is very important, which can encourage the achievement of women's empowerment in terms of thinking from an early age. Second, entrepreneurship or women's MSMEs, which encourage the achievement of economic equality. Third, partnerships between various lines, which at this stage can encourage the promotion of the importance of women's leadership at all levels. To support these three pillars of commitment, real digital inclusion is needed.
During the visit to India, the Indonesian delegation handed over The Indonesia Gender Dahsboard on Women in SMEs to the Minister of Women and Child Development and Minister of Minority Affairs of India, Smt Smriti Zubin Irani. This document is the result of G20 EMPOWER Indonesia's collaboration with the World Bank on Women's SMEs. These gender guidelines are specific recommendations and best practices to promote and strengthen women's participation at the decision-making level, especially in ensuring the realisation of gender equality in the workplace, business sector and society. In addition, this guideline also serves as a platform to exchange knowledge across governments, advocates and stakeholders, as well as to enhance partnerships between the Indonesian government and other G20 member countries in increasing women's participation in leadership and decision-making.
Chair of G20 EMPOWER Indonesia. Yessie D. Yosetya was a guest speaker in session III, Closing the Gap: Achieving TECHEQUITY for Women with Senior Vice President and Managing Director of SAP Labs India, Sindhu Gangadharan. Also present were Global Head Strategic Group Accounts of TCS, Farzana Haque, National Technology Officer of Microsoft India, Dr Rohini Srivathsa, and Country Manager of LinkedIn India, Ashutosh Gupta.
Yessie said that, "G20 EMPOWER has so far succeeded in encouraging the role and position of women in various sectors, especially in encouraging the participation of women at the decision-making level. All leaders of countries that are members of the G20 alliance have recognised this. We are committed, that in this Indian Presidency, there must be a new added value generated. It is very important to come up with policies that can boost the participation rate of women in improving their position".
Furthermore, Co-Chair of G20 EMPOWER Indonesia, Rina Prihatiningsih, said that during the Indian Presidency, Indonesia reiterated the need to review a series of joint KPIs to ensure progress is made in addressing the challenges faced by women-owned MSMEs and initiate policy dialogue to find solutions. Recognising the critical role of women entrepreneurship in driving economic progress, Indonesia launched an initiative to empower women-led MSMEs together with the World Bank in Indonesia.
Representing the private sector are G20 EMPOWER, XL Axiata, the Indonesian Women Entrepreneurs Association (IWAPI), and the Indonesian Employers Association (APINDO), which are dedicated to addressing pressing issues, collecting analytical data and leading dialogue. The public sector is represented by the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (Ministry of PPPA). Two important outcomes of this collaboration are the "Opening Opportunities Report: Economic Strategies on the Gender Gap in Entrepreneurship in Indonesia" and "The Role of Indonesian Women in MSMEs". This comprehensive strategy can not only go beyond economic growth, but also extend to social and cultural change, promoting a more just and prosperous Indonesia in the process.
Meanwhile, Chair of G20 EMPOWER Indian Presidency, Dr Sangita Reddy, highlighted that to truly empower women, there is a need to foster their role in leadership and decision-making at all levels of society. Of course, it must be supported by the G20 EMPOWER recommendations to be the basis for every step towards achieving this goal.
To encourage women's participation and advancement, G20 EMPOWER has recruited advocates from among CEOs and organisation leaders to promote G20 EMPOWER messages in their companies, sectors, networks and countries. Under Indian presidency, the number of advocates has increased from 380 to 544, with more than 100 advocates from India.
Sangita Reddy added that, the points proposed by G20 EMPOWER are made to enable women entrepreneurs to become strong economic pillars. G20 EMPOWER encourages the private sector to go further, not just as a funder, provider of goods and services, it is expected to be a mentor and driver of growth.
A mentorship platform has been designed to bring together mentors and mentees as a result of the G20 EMPOWER alliance. In a first under the Indian presidency, 73 inspiring stories from 9 countries have been curated on the G20 EMPOWER website (https://g20empower-india.org/en) to highlight success stories of women achievers from across the G20 countries and invited countries to motivate women and future generations. India has also emphasised citizen engagement across its policy actions. With the aim to make this G20 Presidency a channel to convey the message of the importance of women's role and action.
The recently concluded G20 EMPOWER Summit of the Indian presidency was attended by more than 263 domestic delegates and 70 international delegates. The international delegates were from 13 G20 countries, four guest countries and eight international organisations. These included Argentina, Australia, Brazil, France, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, United States, Bangladesh, Netherlands, Spain, UAE, WTO, ISA, UN Women, UN, UNICEF, ILO, World Bank and ADB.
Also present were dignitaries from India, including Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel, Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Dr Munjpara Mahendrabhai, CEO of NITI Aayog, Shri B.V.R. Subramanyam, Secretary of Women & Child Development of India, Shri Indevar Pandey, Chief of Staff, Office of the Executive Director, UN Women, Mohammad Naciri and President of FICCI, Subhrakant Panda.
G20 ministerial conference on women's empowerment
Indonesian delegates have also attended a ministerial conference to discuss gender parity and ways to address critical global issues such as climate change and sustainable development. Chaired by Smt Smriti Zubin Irani, the conference was filled with discussions on issues related to sustainable development (SDGs) which still tend to stagnate, as well as uneven post-pandemic recovery. The importance of women-led development was also emphasised. The main focus was on achieving gender equality and empowering women, in line with the fifth point in the SDG document. The focus is also in line with India's vision discussed at the G20 Ministerial Conference, on how to strengthen efforts to empower women and promote gender equality around the world.
More than 150 delegates, led by heads of delegation from each G20 member country, invited countries and international organisations, participated in the three-day event. The Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection of the Republic of Indonesia, Bintang Puspayoga, also attended the conference. Key thematic discussions during the conference revolved around important areas such as education as a pathway to women's empowerment, women's entrepreneurship for economic equity and growth, promoting women's leadership at all levels, and digital skills for women's empowerment. The outcomes of these discussions will be compiled and presented as recommendations to the G20 leaders.