RIYADH — The Saudi G20 Presidency organized the inception meeting of the Private Sector Alliance for the Empowerment and Progression of Women's Economic Representation (EMPOWER). Saudi Arabia's G20 Sherpa gave the opening remarks in which he welcomed the members and expressed strong support of the G20 Presidency to "EMPOWER". The Saudi Sherpa highlighted that women empowerment is at the center of the Saudi G20 Presidency Agenda and that it is being discussed under the different G20 work streams. EMPOWER was launched at the G20 Osaka Summit in 2019 in order to advocate for the advancement of women in the private sector. The members of the alliance met for the first time, via teleconferencing, Friday with a proposal for three additional meetings to be held in 2020. This year EMPOWER will develop an action plan to identify key focus areas and activate its membership, while it will also conduct global research and a stock-take of relevant data and policy suggestions. Addressing persistent social and economic inequalities between men and women is one main element of the Saudi Presidency's aim of empowering people under the theme "Realizing Opportunities of the 21st Century for All." Therefore, the Saudi Presidency is strongly committed to keeping the momentum from previous G20 presidencies to make concrete progress on women and girls' empowerment. The Saudi G20 Presidency continues its work to hold a virtual meeting following the mandate of G20 leaders to have a comprehensive approach to the indirect impacts of COVID-19. Working closely with G20 members, EMPOWER will submit a report to the G20 Leaders' Summit in November, detailing its proposed policy assessment and recommendations.
