WPL participated in the Women Leaders’ Virtual Roundtable on COVID-19 and the Future alongside outstanding colleagues, hosted by UN Women and OECD.
On 20 April 2020, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women, and Gabriela Ramos, OECD Chief of Staff and Sherpa to the G20, convened and chaired the Women Leaders´ Virtual Roundtable on COVID-19 and the Future to address the disproportionately negative impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has on women and girls and to identify and prioritize policy measures that facilitate a more inclusive recovery path.
At the presence of women leaders, ranging from Heads of State and Government, including President, Prime Minister and Vice-President, to civil society, heads of global women’s movements and youth leaders, WPL pointed out that the fight to advance women’s equality and female leadership waits for no one.
Instead of attending a traditional event to work toward increasing the number and influence of women political leaders worldwide, WPL took part in a roundtable that provided the opportunity to female experts to express their insights.
It is clear that women face disproportionate risks across health, economic, and social dimensions as a result of the COVID-10 pandemic. Yet, women remain woefully underrepresented in political leadership positions. It is imperative that women have an equal decision making share across the public and private sectors.
WPL is committed to these aims and is undertaking several initiatives to elevate the voices of women political leaders in COVID-19 response efforts.
November 9-11, WPLin partnership with the Government and Parliament of Iceland will co-host the Reykjavík Global Forum – Women Leaders. It will be a big global moment for women.
The list of participants of the virtual Roundtable is available here.
