G20 – Second Day of the Summit
Promoting women’s entrepreneurship
Today the summit meeting of the G20 heads of state and government continued. Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her delight that the World Bank has set up a Facility to promote women’s business start-ups in developing countries. The Chancellor’s final press conference marked the end of the summit meeting this afternoon.
The World Bank’s Women's Entrepreneurship Facility aims to promote women’s entrepreneurship in developing countries
Photo: Bundesregierung/Güngör
Before Angela Merkel’s press conference at the end of the G20 summit in Hamburg, the leaders again had an extensive programme. The second day of the summit focused first on women’s empowerment. The Chancellor had pledged to incorporate the recommendations of the W20 in the G20 process, and placed this item on the summit agenda.
At the outset of the second day of the G20 summit, Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin met to discuss the further implementation of the Minsk agreements. There was a consensus that the ceasefire laid out in the Minsk agreements should be realised in full.
The Women’s Entrepreneurship Facility is a "genuine improvement", says Chancellor
In her statement on the launch of the World Bank’s Women's Entrepreneurship Facility, Angela Merkel reiterated her delight over the initiative, which is a "genuine improvement" for women. In particular she thanked the World Bank Group President, Jim Yong Kim, and Ivanka Trump, daughter of the American President. Angela Merkel also praised the way others had engaged to bring about the World Bank’s new Facility. It aims to encourage women in developing countries to start their own businesses. Alongside the Chancellor, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and American President Donald Trump spoke at the event to launch the Facility.
"G20 is not only a summit. It is a process."
The example of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Facility demonstrates that "the G20 is not only a two-day summit, but that it is a process," said the Chancellor. The idea behind the Facility, to empower women in developing countries by helping them start their own businesses took shape at the women’s’ associations civil society event in the run-up to the G20 summit meeting.
At the Women20 summit in Berlin "we fought for this Facility for the first time," stressed the Chancellor. "If everything at the World Bank went as quickly as the creation of this Facility, we would be even more efficient at international level". She said that she is looking forward to seeing the first examples and achievements of the initiative next year during Argentina’s Presidency.
At the W20 summit in April 2017 a total of 400 women from the realms of business, the science and research community and civil society from G20 states discussed key women’s issues. Their aim was to foster equal participation of women in society.
Wide spectrum of issues on the agenda
The heads of state and government went on to discuss the partnership with Africa, migration and health. During a working lunch the focus was on digitalisation among other topics. Following the final session this afternoon the Chancellor presented the outcomes of the two-day consultations at a press conference and answered the questions of media representatives.
G20 Summit in Hamburg - Day Two
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For Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, the second summit day begins with a trilateral breakfast with French President Macron and Russian President Putin at Hamburg’s Hotel Atlantic. The focus is on the situation in eastern Ukraine.
Photo: Bundesregierung/Kugler
Saturday, 8 July 2017