sanews - 2 days ago

SA calls for unity ahead of G20 Women’s Declaration South Africa has called on G20 member states to exercise maximum flexibility and solidarity as the Empowerment of Women Working Group (EWWG) enters the final phase of negotiations on the first-ever G20 Ministerial Declaration on the Empowerment of Women. Delivering her welcoming remarks at the 4th Empowerment of Women Technical Meeting, currently underway in Kempton Park, Johannesburg, Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Director-General, Advocate Mikateko Joyce Maluleke, expressed optimism that the declaration, if adopted, would mark a historic milestone for the G20’s gender equality agenda. “If we can reach agreement amongst ourselves, this would indeed be a momentous occasion — for the G20 Forum to adopt, for the first time, the Empowerment of Women Ministerial Declaration,” Maluleke said. The meeting, which takes place from 27 – 29 October 2025, is attended by representatives from G20 member states, including guest countries and international organisations. It is the final meeting under South Africa’s Presidency of the Working Group. The delegates are negotiating the Ministerial Declaration, to be adopted during the EWWG Ministerial Meeting on 31 October 2025. Maluleke commended the “robust engagement” of delegations over the past three and a half months, noting that 29 paragraphs of the draft declaration have been finalised, with 18 still under negotiation. She also reflected on the evolution of the text since South Africa introduced the initial draft, emphasising efforts to balance diverse perspectives. These include references to gender issues, which have increased significantly, from 13 mentions in the Zero Draft to 44 in the latest revision (REV3), showing the growing recognition of women’s empowerment as a core development priority. However, she acknowledged that some contentious issues, such as references to comprehensive sexuality education, patriarchy, and harmful practices, had been removed through successive revisions to reach consensus. “This is an indication that the issues under discussion are vibrant and relevant under the gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls’ agenda for all delegation,” Maluleke said. She also appealed for the use of “agreed UN language” in remaining discussions, stressing that the goal was to produce a declaration that is balanced, ambitious, bold, and action-oriented, ensuring that “all women and girls in our countries will be able to confirm that their human rights are also promoted and protected in the G20.” The EWWG, first established under India’s G20 Presidency in 2023, has since evolved under Brazil in 2024 and now South Africa in 2025. The Johannesburg meeting marks the culmination of this three-year process, setting the stage for a potential global commitment to women’s empowerment within the G20 framework. As the delegates gather for their final week of negotiations in Gauteng, Maluleke expressed confidence that collective determination would lead to success. “We rely on all delegations to exercise their maximum flexibility in this last leg of the negotiations. When the negotiation session resumes, I want us all to reflect, take cognisance that we have spent 55 hours in each other’s company engaging in this text over three and a half months. “This has not been an easy process, and we cannot allow all this hard work to turn into nothing,” the Director-General said. – SAnews.gov.za
GabiK Mon, 10/27/2025 - 14:55 90 views

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