Dr. Thoraya Obaid, Chair of W20 for 2020, praised the economic potentials of Saudi Arabia as it is one of the 20 largest economies in the world. She added that the majority of the Kingdom's population comprises youth and women make up half of it. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on the eve of the G20 Leaders' Summit under the Saudi presidency, she underlined the need to involve women in the recovery of the global economy battered by the coronavirus pandemic and to build a stronger and more resilient world. A gender-sensitive approach to policy-making and responding to crises is the only way to get the global economy back on track, Dr. Obaid said. She stressed the need to utilize the potential of women and make them partners in the development of society, pointing out that women who graduate from Saudi universities make up more than 50 percent of the total graduates. Dr. Obaid also said it is time to empower women in the Kingdom in line with Vision 2030 vision, which has set a goal to increase women's participation in the workforce from 22 percent to 30 percent. The diversification of the economy and placing women at the center of the prosperity strategy is commensurate with the United Nations' 2030 agenda for sustainable development, she added. Dr. Obaid said that the W20 is one of the policy recommendation engagement groups which is part of the G20 process but is independent of governments. It aims to ensure that the gender considerations are mainstreamed into G20 discussions and translated into the G20 Leaders' Declaration as policies and commitments that foster gender equality and women's economic empowerment. — SG
