VOLTAIRE NETWORK
G7 Roadmap for a Gender-Responsive Economic Environment
We, the Leaders of the G7, met in Taormina and agreed to adopt this G7 Roadmap. In line with the principles endorsed in the Taormina Declaration, this Roadmap focuses on the structural policies falling within our central governments’ jurisdiction that are likely to have the greatest impact in delivering gender equality through enabling women’s labor force participation, entrepreneurship, economic empowerment and thus their full and equal participation in society.
We note the outcomes of the previous G7 Presidencies, in particular the Elmau and Ise-Shima Leaders’ Declarations, and the relevant international frameworks, notably the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcome documents of its review conferences, the global call to action of the UN Secretary General’s High Level Panel for Women’s Economic Empowerment, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We also appreciate the voices heard from the third sector and civil society at the W7 Forum – Starting from Girls.
1) Increasing women’s participation and promoting equal opportunities and fair selection processes for leadership at all levels of decision-making
1a. Promote policies that enhance women’s participation and leadership in all aspects of social, economic, and political life. Concerned that, in all countries, including the G7,women’s participation in political, economic and public life remains uneven, we decide to:
Recommend that G7 countries take action to increase the representation of women in all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life by 2022.
Encourage the private sector to value women’s active role in private companies by developing positive actions, such as leadership trainings and gender equality labels/certifications, and promoting role models.
Encourage a more balanced representation of women in G7 delegations, namely among Sherpas, as well as in G7 working groups and the whole staff working on G7 in respective administrations.
1b. Promote women’s entrepreneurship. Reaffirming that greater levels of female participation in entrepreneurship contributes to innovation, job creation and economic growth, we commit to:
Consider adopting concrete sustainable measures by 2022 to promote and facilitate women entrepreneurs’ increased access to credit and equity through different means, such as, where appropriate, guarantee funds and incentives, as well as secured transaction reform, especially in the start-up stage.
Invest in awareness campaigns aimed at informing women about existing resources, networks and other measures for the promotion of female entrepreneurship set up by Governments and other public and private stakeholders and at presenting role models for women entrepreneurs by 2020.
Take sustainable measures at the appropriate level to provide training, mentoring and networking opportunities that specifically address the capacity-building needs of women entrepreneurs by 2020.
Intensify our efforts and consider strengthening the mainstreaming of gender equality and women’s rights and empowerment in our external action and programs targeting economic and productive sectors, and in development cooperation policies.
About the Voltaire Network: Founded by French intellectual Thierry Meyssan, Voltaire Network International is a web of non-aligned press groups dedicated to the analysis of international relations.
