Each year, the G20 Summit brings together world leaders to discuss pressing social and economic issues. This yearJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe invited Senior Advisor Ivanka Trump to speak at the G20. Thanks to Ivanka and her colleagues in the Trump administration, women’s issues were brought to the forefront of the discussion.
As a champion for global equality for women, Ivanka insisted that initiatives to stimulate female economic empowerment be “at the very heart of the G20 agenda.” She spoke about initiatives such as the Women Connect Challenge, which improves women’s access to digital technology and has assisted people like Gram Vaani, a woman who lives in a low-income urban part of India where cellphones are not accessible. Gram now uses community radio and other interactive voice technologies to create media platforms to advocate for social change and improve local governance.
Ivanka also highlighted the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity initiative, which invests in women’s entrepreneurship worldwide. She noted global annual GDP could rise by an estimated $12 trillion by 2025 if women could equally participate in the global economy. She continues to fight for women’s economic empowerment, which is especially important considering women in more than 100 countries still do not have equal rights to work, own land, get loans or run businesses. She also recently traveled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where she toured a local coffee shop and textile company that directly benefited from the initiative through funding geared specifically for women owned businesses.
Ivanka’s participation in the G20 drew international attention to the Trump administration's efforts to help women facing discrimination, especially through the 2X Africa Women’s Initiative. This program invests $1 billion to help women-owned businesses in the developing world compete in their local economies. Already, $25 million has been committed to the Solar Energy Fund LLC., a project in Sub-Saharan Africa that will use clean energy to provide electricity in remote areas.
Ivanka’s advocacy doesn’t stop there. She successfully started the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, a partnership between The World Bank Group and The International Monetary Fund, which will mobilize nearly $2 billion in capital for female entrepreneurs globally to gain access to financial products and services, expand networks, find mentors, and reach local and global markets.
Whether at home or abroad, Ivanka boldly advances President Trump’s pro-women platforms while acknowledging that “every nation, including the United States, can and should do more.” She is a smart, capable voice amplifying global issues that need more attention. Ensuring economic success for women and families is more than a talking point for this administration. As part of her efforts on behalf of the administration and women around the world, the United States is strengthening global partnerships, recognizing that “America first does not mean America alone.”
More than 50 million women will be impacted by this administration’s focus on supporting women entrepreneurs. Ivanka and the President remain committed to helping them realize their full economic potential, and we are grateful that they continue to champion our interests on the world stage.