W7 CALLS ON G7 LEADERS TO UPHOLD RIGHTS AND EQUALITY AMIDST MULTIPLE CRISES

OTTAWA, ON, March 31, 2025 /CNW/ - As Canada gears up to host this year's Group of 7 (G7) Summit in June, the Women 7 (W7) demands unwavering commitment to human rights and bold leadership on gender equality as the world is at a critical juncture to tackle multiple crises. This is not a time to retreat, but to double down on advancing policies that enhance the prosperity and security for all. 

Every day, people around the world are impacted by rising inequality, escalating conflicts, climate catastrophe, attacks on democracy and human rights, including the roll back of the rights of women, girls, and 2SLGBTI+ people. Billionaire wealth soared by $2 trillion in 2024, exacerbating extreme poverty, and military spending exceeded $2.4 trillion - a new global high. Wars and human rights violations in Gaza, Sudan, Afghanistan, Haiti, Myanmar, and other parts of the world, demand urgent action. The climate catastrophe is accelerating, with 2024 officially the hottest year on record. Women's rights and gender equality are backsliding, with no country on track to achieve gender equality by 2030. 

The crises layering on top of each other lead to new and complex challenges that require global collaboration. The G7 must step up to these challenges and advance solutions that work for all. Working with civil society and feminist movements worldwide will be critical at this time. Now more than ever, gender justice and the rights of all must be central to decision making, as the key to achieving long-term prosperity and security for all. 

What we demand from G7 leaders

G7 leaders must act in the upcoming G7 Summit in June (and at ministerial meetings held throughout the year), not with empty rhetoric but with bold, concrete commitments and actions at this pivotal moment in history. Gender equality and human rights can and must be systematically integrated into all policy areas, ensuring they are not sidelined as secondary concerns. In fact, our economies are only stronger and our democracies more resilient when bolstered by rights and gender justice. Progress on these multiple global challenges cannot be addressed without progress on gender equality. 

Economic policies should address the structural inequalities that keep women and marginalized communities in poverty. G7 leaders must invest in gender transformative public care services, social protections, and decent work that empower women and gender-diverse people economically. 

Climate action should center the experiences and leadership of frontline communities, particularly women, Indigenous peoples, and environmental defenders. This includes enforcing corporate accountability for environmental destruction, ending reliance on fossil fuels, scaling up investments in renewable energy, and recognizing land and resource rights as fundamental human rights. 

With the rise in authoritarianism and threats to the international justice system, now more than ever, is the moment to reassert strong support for democracy and human rights. The G7 must take a firm stance against the criminalization of dissent, the rollback of the rights of women, girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and the shrinking space for civil society, ensuring that foreign and domestic policies align with human rights principles.It requires dedicated funding for feminist  movements and civil society organizations, protections for women human rights defenders, and respect for existing international mechanisms to prevent gender-based violence and repression and the means for strengthening them.  

Peace and security discussions must move beyond militarized approaches and prioritize human security. This means investing in conflict prevention, de-escalation, and peace-building initiatives that address root causes of instability rather than fueling arms races, and ensuring peace processes include women and gender diverse people. 

Finally, accountability must be at the core of G7 commitments. Leaders must implement transparent mechanisms to track progress on gender equality and human rights, ensuring that commitments translate into tangible outcomes. 

The world is watching—true leadership means taking action in this historic moment to shape our shared future so that prosperity, security and justice is upheld for all.

Notes to Editor:

1. The Group of 7 (G7) is an informal forum composed of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US as well as the European Union which holds a consultative status. This powerful group serves as a platform for these nations to collaborate on key economic and political matters on a global scale. 
2. The W7 or Women 7 is one of many civil society 'engagement groups' that provides recommendations to G7 countries and holds governments accountable for commitments made. The W7 focuses on advancing women's rights and gender justice as both a stand alone priority and a set of issues that requires attention and robust action in each ministerial meeting and theme discussion. Each year, the W7 is organized by civil society organizations from the host G7 country. The 2025 W7 Organizing Committee has representatives from: Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, Canadian Labour Congress, Canadian Women's Foundation, Equality Fund, Mines Action Canada, National Association of Friendship Centres, Nobel Women's Initiative, Oxfam Canada, Women's Shelters Canada, and the Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative.  

SOURCE Oxfam Canada

Media contact: Laveza Khan; [email protected]; 613-240-4157