Women 20
The W20
The G20's official engagement group on the economic empowerment of women and girls. Convening since 2015, across nineteen nations, the European Union and the African Union.
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“The W20 has the potential to influence economic governance and promote gender-inclusive economic growth in a more potent way than has ever been possible in the G20 until now.”
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All analysis →What the W20 is
The W20 was established in 2015 under the Turkish G20 presidency, as the official channel through which the G20 receives advice on women's economic participation. Like the B20, it is an engagement group: independent of government, but formally recognised within the G20 architecture, and expected to deliver its recommendations into the process rather than shout at it from outside.
Its remit has widened considerably over a decade. What began as a focus on labour force participation now covers financial inclusion, women's health, the digital gender divide, and the inclusion of women in climate decision-making — the last of these an acknowledgement that the populations most exposed to climate disruption are frequently the least represented in the rooms where the response is designed.
Each year the W20 publishes a communiqué at its summit. As with the B20, its influence is measured by how much of that language survives into the leaders' declaration.
Current presidency
W20 United States — 2026
The W20 presidency passed formally from South Africa to the United States on January 12, 2026, running alongside the American G20 presidency and the B20 hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The current troika — South Africa, the United States and the United Kingdom — carries the work across three presidencies, so that an agenda set in one year is not abandoned in the next.
The troika
Every G20 engagement group operates on a troika: the outgoing, current and incoming presidencies work together. It is the mechanism that gives a body with no secretariat some institutional memory.
| Role | Presidency | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Outgoing | South Africa | 2025 |
| Current | United States | 2026 |
| Incoming | United Kingdom | 2027 |
Where the W20 sits
The W20 is one of a family of official G20 engagement groups, each speaking for a constituency: B20 (business), L20 (labour), C20 (civil society), T20 (think tanks), Y20 (youth), S20 (science) and U20 (urban). Group of Nations covers the W20 and the G20 YEA alongside its principal summit titles.
“Japan, as the presidency for G20 this year, extends unwavering efforts to support further development of W20 activities.”
W20 questions
What is the W20?
The W20, or Women 20, is the G20 engagement group on women's economic empowerment. W20 delegates from G20 members agree priorities and recommendations, and the W20 communique is presented to G20 leaders.
Who holds the W20 presidency in 2026?
The United States holds the W20 presidency in 2026, alongside the U.S. G20 presidency. It took over from South Africa on January 12, 2026, and the United Kingdom follows in 2027.
What does the W20 work on?
W20 recommendations cover women entrepreneurs and women-owned businesses, women in procurement, women's financial inclusion, the gender pay gap, the care economy, women in leadership and STEM, the digital gender divide, women and AI, women in agrifood, women's health and menopause in the workplace, and online abuse and deepfakes.
What is the G20 Brisbane goal?
In 2014, G20 leaders agreed the Brisbane goal to reduce the gap in labor force participation between men and women by 25 percent by 2025. The W20 tracks progress on gender equality in the G20 against such commitments.
Where have recent W20 summits been held?
Recent W20 presidencies were South Africa (2025), Brazil (2024), India (2023) and Indonesia (2022).
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Know what is being published, before it is published.
A short note ahead of each summit — the edition in production, the deadline for inclusion, and what the presidency has put on the agenda. No more than one a month.