Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry's official, Eko Novi Ariyanti. (ANTARA/HO-Kemen PPPA/FR)
The government and business parties need to encourage further implementation of policies and practices as a form of support to women-owned MSMEs to handle existing challengeThe 2nd Plenary Meeting of G20 Empower scheduled a meeting between women leaders in the private and public sector to share their experiences to realize gender equality in the work environment.
"G20 Empower is an important platform for advocates to share their experiences and practices," Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry's official, Eko Novi Ariyanti, stated through a press statement on Tuesday evening.
The G20 is an international forum comprising 19 countries that work together to handle major issues. Indonesia holds the G20 Presidency this year.
G20 Empower is one of the working groups during Indonesia’s G20 Presidency that aims to expedite women's leadership and empowerment in the private sector.
These women leaders are key figures, who can promote actions that they have carried out, Ariyanti remarked.
The Indonesian government continues to gather support from other women leaders to garner attention to the importance of gender equality in the private and public sector.
Ariyanti noted that since 2020, the Indonesian government has conducted synergy with 26 advocates: CEOs or senior leaders in corporations or associations.
These figures play an important role in decision making that can promote gender equality in their work environment, she stated.
"In 2022, the government gathers support from 34 new advocates to promote the importance of gender equality in the private and public sector," Ariyanti remarked.
G20 Empower Chair Yessie D. Yosetya stated that the focus of the discussion for this meeting is encouraging women micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to act as the drivers of economic growth.
"The government and business parties need to encourage further implementation of policies and practices as a form of support to women-owned MSMEs to handle existing challenges," she remarked.
G20 Empower holds the 2nd Plenary Meeting in Yogyakarta on May 17-19, 2022, with the primary agenda of discussing the urgency of women's role in MSMEs as the drivers of economic growth.
Several crucial issues that will also be discussed include limited access to financial facility for women MSMEs, low digital literacy and internet connectivity, and vulnerability of women MSMEs to the pandemic and crisis' impact.
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