With growth slowing and families struggling to make ends meet, it is an appalling injustice when money ends up in the hands of criminals – money that could be spent on much-needed global growth and development” // JULIA KULIK Julia Kulik, MPP, is director of strategic initiatives and public engagement for the G20 and G7 Research Groups, the BRICS Research Group and the Global Health Diplomacy Program, all based at the University of Toronto. She has writ- ten on G20, G7 and BRICS performance, particularly on the issues of gender equality and regional security. She leads the groups’ work on gender, women’s health, higher education and summit performance.
X-TWITTER @juliafkulik www.g20.utoronto.ca
at Bali in 2023 to 8%. It held steady in New Delhi in 2024 at 9% and rose mod- erately again at Rio de Janeiro in 2024 to 13%. DECISIONS From 2008 to 2024, the G20 made 121 core commitments and 51 related com- mitments on gender equality, for a total of 172. The first came in London in 2009, accounting for 1% of the total commit- ments. The next two (2%) appeared at Los Cabos in 2012, followed by four more (2%) at Brisbane in 2014. Antalya in 2015 contributed no core commitments but produced four (2%) related ones. Hangzhou in 2016 had no core gender commitments but eight (4%) gender- related commitments. The 2017 Ham- burg Summit had a record 30 core gender equality commitments and 14 related ones (8%). Buenos Aires in 2018 recorded only seven core commitments (7%). At Osaka in 2019, this increased to 12, with an additional four related ones (11%). Riyadh in 2020 had eight core and one related commitment (8%). Rome in 2021 saw a moderate rise to 17 core and four related commitments (9%). Bali in 2022 included 11 core and six related commit- ments (8%). New Delhi in 2023 produced 22 core and two related commitments (5%), while Rio in 2024 had eight core and four related commitments (7%). DELIVERY G20 Research Group assessments found that G20 members averaged 62% com- pliance with the 30 assessed gender commitments, notably lower than the overall 71% overall average. Compli- ance on gender was highest for the 2020 commitments at 89% and the 2022 com- mitments at 80%. The lowest levels were observed for the 2013 commitments at 33% and the 2009 London commitments
“At the Johannesburg Summit, G20 leaders should build on past progress by reinforcing core gender commitments”
at 48%. By May 2025, compliance with the one commitment assessed from the 2024 Rio Summit was 57%. By member, the highest compliance was achieved by Canada (88%), the European Union (87%) and the United Kingdom (79%). Mexico and Russia with 41% and Indonesia with 43% had the lowest scores. CAUSES Several potential causes of compliance stand out. Higher G20 compliance of about 15% came from summits where a higher percentage of the declaration and its commitments were dedicated to gender and gender-related issues. Core gender equality commitments averaged 65%, higher than the gender -related ones at 57%. The gender com- mitments with the highest compliance focused on improving women’s economic empowerment and ensuring the Covid-19 pandemic did not widen existing gender gaps. Commitments with the lowest compliance focused on women and girls’ education in science, technology, engi- neering and mathematics; unpaid care
work; and ending gender-based violence. Commitments with politically binding language and thus a high degree of obli- gation averaged 66%, while those with a lower degree averaged only 51%. Several catalysts embedded in the commitment texts, which guide imple- mentation, had minimal impact on compliance. Compliance was similar between the nine assessed commitments that included at least one catalyst, aver- aging 62%, and the 21 commitments without any, averaging 61%. Commit- ments that achieved higher compliance referenced an institutional body and incorporated self-monitoring mecha- nisms for implementation. CONCLUSION At the Johannesburg Summit, G20 lead- ers should build on past progress by reinforcing core gender commitments, using clear and binding language, embedding institutional oversight and self-monitoring, and broadening atten- tion to emerging areas where gender equality intersects, such as the digital economy and climate action.
75 globalgovernanceproject.org
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