Chikunga Calls for Renewed Global Commitment to Gender Equality at G20 Meeting

South Africa's Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, has urged the global community to confront the enduring and evolving barriers to gender equality with renewed urgency, solidarity, and innovation. Speaking at the G20 Empowerment of Women Working Group (EWWG) Ministerial Meeting on Friday, held at the Radisson Hotel and Convention Centre in Kempton Park, Chikunga described 2025 as both a pivotal and testing year for women's empowerment worldwide.

A Defining Moment for Global Gender Equality

Addressing ministers, policymakers, and civil society representatives, Chikunga reflected on the global journey toward gender justice since the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which remains a cornerstone of international commitments to women's rights.

"Three decades ago, women of the world travelled to Beijing—not as supplicants seeking charity, but as architects of our own liberation," Chikunga declared. "We have come a long way, but profound challenges remain."

The Minister emphasised that while legislative and social progress has been achieved, structural inequality, gender-based violence, and economic exclusion continue to undermine women's full participation in society and the economy.

South Africa's Leadership Under the G20 Presidency

Under South Africa's 2025 G20 Presidency, themed "Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability," Chikunga said the country is determined to embed gender equality at the heart of global decision-making.

"As the chair of the G20 Empowerment of Women Working Group, we are committed to ensuring that women's voices are central to shaping sustainable, inclusive economic systems," she said.

She highlighted three interlinked priority areas guiding the EWWG's agenda this year:

1. Paid and unpaid care work and household responsibilities, which disproportionately fall on women and hinder their economic participation;

2. Promoting financial inclusion for women through improved access to capital, digital technologies, and entrepreneurship support; and

3. Addressing gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) as both a moral and economic imperative for societies seeking inclusive growth.

"Throughout our deliberations, it became clear that these three priorities are not exclusive; they are mutually reinforcing," Chikunga explained. "We cannot discuss economic inclusion without addressing care work, and we cannot talk about empowerment while violence continues to silence women."

Collaboration Across the African Continent

Chikunga expressed pride that the African Union (AU) and several African nations have played an active role in shaping the G20's gender equality agenda. "We are deeply pleased to have had the participation of our sister African countries throughout this working group," she said.

She noted that the South African-led EWWG has already hosted three major technical meetings between February and July 2025 — a combination of virtual and in-person sessions — drawing contributions from international organisations, development banks, academia, and the private sector. These consultations, she said, helped refine policy proposals aimed at achieving measurable progress in women's empowerment and economic participation.

Confronting Persistent Inequality

The Minister underscored that the global struggle for gender equality remains far from over, with new and persistent forms of exclusion emerging in technology, the labour market, and political spaces.

"Women continue to face unequal pay, limited access to leadership positions, and barriers to finance," she said. "Meanwhile, unpaid domestic and care responsibilities, often invisible in economic data, perpetuate cycles of inequality and poverty."

Quoting former President Nelson Mandela, Chikunga invoked his enduring message on justice and human dignity:

"As long as women are bound by poverty, and as long as they are looked down upon, human rights will lack substance. As long as outmoded ways of thinking prevent women from making a meaningful contribution to society, progress will be slow. As long as a nation refuses to acknowledge the equal role of more than half of itself, it is doomed to failure."

"This truth remains as urgent today as it was when he spoke it," Chikunga said, noting that gender inequality not only hinders individual potential but also limits the global economy's capacity for growth and innovation.

Building on the Foundations of Past Presidencies

Chikunga acknowledged the groundwork laid by previous G20 Presidencies, particularly India and Brazil, for advancing a people-centred and inclusive approach to women's empowerment. "Their efforts have provided a strong foundation for the world to reimagine gender equality and sustainable development as comprehensive, indivisible, and mutually reinforcing," she said.

She praised India for highlighting women's role in digital innovation and entrepreneurship, and Brazil for championing gender-responsive social protection and care economy policies.

A Global Call for Transformative Action

The Minister emphasised that the global community must move beyond symbolic commitments toward transformative action, supported by financing, accountability mechanisms, and data-driven monitoring.

She also underscored the importance of financial inclusion, noting that women-owned enterprises remain disproportionately excluded from formal credit systems. "We must dismantle barriers that prevent women from accessing capital, markets, and training," she said. "Financial inclusion is not only about access — it's about power, agency, and independence."

Chikunga called on G20 member states to develop gender-responsive macroeconomic policies and investment frameworks that integrate women into green energy transitions, infrastructure projects, and digital industries — the sectors driving the economies of the future.

Toward a Gender-Responsive Global Agenda

As the G20 Empowerment of Women Working Group continues its work under South Africa's leadership, Chikunga reaffirmed her ministry's determination to ensure that the final G20 Leaders' Declaration reflects strong commitments to gender equality, equity, and inclusion.

"Our goal is not just to make women visible in the global economy — it is to make them indispensable," she concluded. "True progress depends on our willingness to change systems, redistribute opportunity, and build a world that values care, equality, and justice."

The Minister's remarks set the tone for what is expected to be a defining year for global gender advocacy under South Africa's G20 Presidency, as the world moves closer to the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration in 2025 — a moment to take stock, renew commitment, and accelerate action for women everywhere.