Kempton park: Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, has warned that despite decades of progress, the global fight for gender equality continues to face deep-rooted and emerging challenges. Speaking at the G20 Empowerment of Women Working Group (EWWG) Ministerial Meeting held at the Radisson Hotel and Convention Centre, Chikunga described 2025 as both ‘special and challenging’ for the global movement for gender equality.

According to South African Government News Agency, Chikunga emphasized the importance of three key priorities: paid and unpaid care work and household responsibilities; promoting financial inclusion for women; and addressing gender-based violence and femicide. These remain central to the group’s agenda under South Africa’s G20 Presidency. The Minister noted that these priorities are mutually reinforcing.

South Africa has taken the G20 Presidency under the theme ‘Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability’, which reflects both the values of the South African Constitution and the continent’s growing role in shaping global policy. Chikunga expressed satisfaction with the participation of the African Union and other African countries in the working group. The South African-led EWWG has already convened three major technical meetings to refine gender-focused policy proposals, which have received significant support.

These meetings, held online and in-person between February and July 2025, included contributions from various international organizations, civil society, and private sector representatives. Reflecting on the enduring global inequalities that women face, Chikunga cited former President Nelson Mandela, highlighting the heavy legacy of oppression that weighs on women.

Chikunga also thanked India and Brazil, the previous G20 Presidencies, for establishing a strong foundation for reimagining women’s empowerment and sustainable development as a comprehensive, far-reaching, people-centred, indivisible, and interlinked paradigm.