Traditionally, the world’s 3.4 billion women have been neither seen nor heard when  the predominantly male leaders of the wealthiest and most powerful nations meet.  But some new voices were raised in the lead-up to this year’s G20 Summit in Toronto, when 21 young women representing the G20 nations and the African Union gathered to chart a global strategy to meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

I was privileged to review some of the applications for the 21 seats at the table.  After a long flight from Toronto for a business meeting in California, I got up at 4 a.m. to read amazing stories from accomplished and thoughtful young women.  Four hours later, when I left for work, I was refreshed, energized and inspired by their commitment to change the world. 

The professional summiteers could take a few lessons from these young women on establishing clear, measurable action plans.  The G(irls)20 Summit focused  on education, child and maternal health, and economic opportunity — issues that  impact women and their capacity to establish economic stability. 

For those of us fortunate enough to live in Canada, the principle of economic equality for women is supported by an enviable education system and high quality health care.  But imagine the girl who can not go to school because basic sanitation in the form of gender-segregated washrooms is non-existent. Or the child bride who becomes pregnant at 15, with serious implications for her health and that of her child.

These are the barriers to women fulfilling their economic potential.  And it is a huge potential.  In micro-financing initiatives in the developing world, and in woman-owned businesses in Canada, women have demonstrated that they understand the basics of solid investment supported by hard work. 

The young women who met in Toronto in June are part of a powerful new generation who are connected with the world and excited by the opportunities.  Participants were selected through a viral online campaign supported by Catalyst and other organizations that sparked discussion, debate and the exchange of ideas from people in 190 countries. 

That energy and commitment took over in Toronto and resulted in practical recommendations to bring 3.4 billion people —the women of the world— into the global economy. 

Perhaps more importantly, they’ve given us a guide to evaluate the actions and impact of the other G20 Summit.

Tags: CanCon, Catalyst, disparity, economic development, equity, G(irls)-20 Summit, G-20 Summit, gender, leadership, micro-financing, policy, United Nations Millennium Development Goals, women

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 30th, 2010 at 8:30 am and is filed under Leadership. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.