Message from the First Day of the G20 Women's Summit: Women's Rights are Human Rights

The message from the first day of the G20 Women's Summit in Berlin was that women's rights are human rights and women must participate more in global economic activities. Ivanka Trump, daughter and advisor to the President of the United States, identified the gap between the roles of women and men in the economic growth of countries as a global issue, including in the United States. Ms. Trump stated that women make up 50% of the world's population but still do not have easy access to the necessary resources to play an effective role in their societies. The U.S. presidential advisor said, 'The problems are clear, but the solutions will vary from region to region and from country to country. For this reason, women must find the solutions themselves in their own countries.' The title of this two-day international G20 women's summit is 'Encouraging Women: Increasing Women's Entrepreneurship,' and it addresses major issues including the labor market and financial resources, women's entrepreneurship, and better access for women to digital technology. Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, is another prominent participant in this summit. In a discussion on Tuesday, the German Chancellor proposed the establishment of a financial fund by the G20 for developing countries. Another guest, Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund, stated, 'There is a possibility and opportunity to eliminate these inequalities.' According to Ms. Lagarde, creating a financial resource fund to assist women entrepreneurs should be a policy for all countries. Additionally, participants believe that education plays a very important role in achieving women's goals. Ms. Lagarde said that after forecasting the necessary financial resources, education ranks second in importance. Ivanka Trump, the U.S. presidential advisor, believes that girls should be encouraged from an early age to study in science and mathematics fields. Ms. Merkel also stated that the traditional thinking that women can only enter the labor market after their children start school needs to be changed. According to the German Chancellor's experience, if governments provide the means for families to care for their children, families will undoubtedly welcome it, and women in the family will also engage in economic activities as an effective workforce. Another taboo that participants believe should be broken is the male perspective of women as economic competitors. According to Ms. Trump, the new generation of men does not share their fathers' views, and they can also help in achieving the goals of women. Melinda Gates, wife of Bill Gates, also had a message for the summit. Ms. Gates, who along with her husband has established a foundation in their name, emphasized access for girls and women to technology in her brief message. Ms. Gates stated, 'Access for women to digital technology can transform society, but this transformation will not happen automatically.' At the end of the Tuesday discussion, Ms. Trump said she would take the message of the summit back to the United States. This was Ivanka Trump's first appearance as an official U.S. government representative on the international stage as an advisor to the President, which took place at the personal invitation of the German Chancellor.