The W20’s 2026 Safety and Security advocacy brief calls on governments to end gender-based violence and to advance women’s meaningful participation in peace and security processes at all levels. It matters to business because the brief treats violence as an economic cost and reaches directly into the workplace through International Labour Organization standards. An earlier W20 ask on online abuse was one strand of this brief. This piece covers its wider recommendations.
The economic case
The brief says one in three women will be subject to physical or sexual violence in her lifetime, and that up to 70% of women experience gender-based violence in humanitarian contexts. It gives two measures of economic cost. It cites an estimate that gender-based violence costs the European Union €366 billion a year. It also says the International Monetary Fund links a one percent rise in domestic violence to a 9% fall in economic activity, without naming the report.
Law, data and services
The first recommendation asks governments to “adopt, fund, and enforce comprehensive GBV legislation aligned with CEDAW and ILO Convention 190,” covering domestic, workplace, public and digital spheres. ILO Convention No. 190 entered into force on June 25, 2021. According to the ILO, it provides the first international definition of violence and harassment in the world of work, including gender-based violence and harassment. Employers operating across G20 markets would be directly affected by any wider alignment with it.
The brief also asks more countries to adopt current Women, Peace and Security national action plans with specific implementation plans. It seeks standardized, internationally comparable and publicly reported data on gender-based violence.
A third group of recommendations concerns services. The W20 wants more access to survivor-centered health care, legal aid, psychosocial support, shelter and digital safety, and it asks that financing and technical assistance be aligned across international partners and women-led local organizations.
Women in security and negotiations
The second recommendation focuses on representation. It asks governments to increase the percentage of women in the security and defense sectors and in key government positions, and to boost the share of women serving as negotiators, mediators and experts in peace processes.
The brief says agreements with women signatories are 20% more likely to last two years and 35% more likely to last 15 years. Political risk teams may note that argument, since the brief ties stability to who sits at the table. It adds that countries ranking lowest on women’s well-being are unstable, fragile and experience armed conflict.
The recommendations carry no numeric targets or deadlines, unlike some other W20 briefs. The document points ahead to a major UK summit on tackling violence against women and girls, where it says countries can set out further commitments and report on progress. The United Kingdom holds the next G20 presidency after the United States.
As of November 5, the W20 documents page lists no 2026 communiqué. G20 leaders meet in Miami on December 14 and 15.
