The W20 Summit was held on 16-17 October 2015 in Istanbul with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Representatives from many different countries and from international organisations attended the summit. Following the welcome messages of W20 Chairwoman Dr. Gülden Türktan and Turkey’s G20 Sherpa Ambassador Ayşe Sinirlioğlu, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and UN Women Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri realised their opening speeches. Moreover, video messages from Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop and Coca-Cola Company CEO Muhtar Kent were also shown to the participants.

In his speech, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reminded that G20 represents 85% of the world economy and 75% of the world population. He further underlined that G20 is a crucial platform in trying to find solutions to global problems. President Erdoğan stressed the three main principles – also known as the three “I’s” of Turkey’s G20 Presidency: Inclusiveness, Implementation and Investment.  Moreover, President Erdoğan also highlighted the need for further employment and higher living standards and that G20’s activities are of critical importance in that respect. Speaking in an engagement group which has been created with Turkey’ initiative in 2015 in order to strengthen women’s participation in the global economy, President Erdoğan also pointed out the importance of inclusiveness and to stimulate opportunities for women’s employment. Stressing that increasing women’s participation in the workforce bears significant importance for further economic growth, President Erdoğan underscored the need to meet the target of bringing 100 million more women to the work force in the 10 next years at the global level. Reminding that concrete steps have been taken in 2015 in that respect, President Erdoğan also added that one of the priorities of Turkey’s G20 Presidency is to strengthen the capacity of SME’s in terms of stimulating employment.

Speaking on behalf of the UN, UN Women Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri first of all expressed her condolences to Turkey in wake of the Ankara terrorist attacks. Puri added that the creation of W20 with the initiative of Turkey constitutes a turning point regarding gender equality in 2015. Indicating that without women’s empowerment economic growth would not be possible; she further touched upon the Sustainable Development Goals which have been accepted within the framework of the UN. In that respect, Puri explained that growth alone wouldn’t be enough and stressed thus the need for inclusive and robust growth. Adding that the G20 should assume a pilot role regarding the implementation of provisions on gender equality, Puri further stressed that the following objectives are envisaged within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals regarding gender equality:

- Ending all forms of violence against women;

- Abolishing unpaid care work;

- Empowering women in the global economy.

Furthermore, Puri reminded that 2030 is the deadline to meet the UN’s objectives regarding comprehensive solutions to gender inequality, violence against women and discrimination and stressed the importance for W20 to work together with the other G20 engagement groups in that respect.

In the context of the G20 Engagement Groups in which the moderation was ensured by G20 Head of Department Mustafa Osman Turan from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, TİSK Board of Directors Vice Chairman Erol Kiresepi on behalf of B20, TÜRK-İŞ Financial Secretary General Ramazan Ağar on behalf of L20, TEPAV EU Institute Director Nilgün Arısan Eralp on behalf of T20, C20 Chairwoman and IKV Vice Chairman Zeynep Bodur Okyay and Y20 Chairman Emre Cenker addressed the participants. In the panel, speaking on behalf of B20, TİSK Board of Directors Vice Chairman Erol Kiresepi highlighted that it is the first time that B20 and L20 are working together and acknowledging both the importance of further empowering women to increase women’s participation in the workforce and tackling high unemployment rates faced by women. Furthermore, Kiresepi added that with the participation of 100 million women to the workforce, the global GDP would increase by 1%, adding an additional 80 billion dollars to the global economy. As for C20 and IKV Vice Chairwoman Zeynep Bodur Okyay, she stressed that the recommendations brought forward by the Gender Equality Working Group within the framework of C20 are overlapping with those of W20 and further reminded that the objective of decreasing gender gap has been included within the C20 Communiqué. Moreover, referring to the importance of best practices, Okyay indicated that best practices in that area already exist in G20 countries. Reminding that SMEs are unable to further grow because of technological limitations, TEPAV EU Institute Director Nilgün Eralp explained that T20 has proposed the creation of Global Skills Accelerator Index and that the main objective is to further increase the presence of women in the technological world.

The W20 Communique was formally adopted on 17 October 2015. W20 Chairwoman Dr. Gülden Türktan thanked all participants for their contribution in that respect and stressed that the communique is a turning point regarding gender equality and that W20 recommendations are of great importance within the framework of G20 history.

W20 recommendations include the following:

- Address women’s economic empowerment through strengthening linkages between education, employment and entrepreneurship;

- Support work and life balance by developing and/or improving infrastructural mechanisms for social care;

- Increase the number of women both in public and private sector leadership positions

- Ensure women’s access to financial assets and to markets;

- Eliminate workplace discrimination, enforce legal rights and promote equal opportunities;

- Strengthen women’s economic, social and political networks;

- Support women-owned enterprises and innovation;

- Promote women’s leadership in creating sustainable consumption patterns and green growth;

- Deliver adequate social protection and improve working conditions for women;

- Propose G20 to develop a scorecard using indicators regarding gender equality.

To reach the W20 Communiqué, please click here.