In the face of geopolitical upheavals and economic uncertainty, we, the members of the 2025 G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council, remind G7 Leaders of their past commitments to achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls in all their diversity. We urge G7 Leaders to act on the concern they expressed last year about the rollback of the rights of women, girls, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual and other (LGBTQIA+) people, and to continue their long-standing commitment to mainstream gender equality in all policy areas.
Gender inequalities continue to mark economies, societies, and political decision-making around the world. Women are significantly underrepresented in every sector that G7 Leaders seek to promote this year, from artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum technologies to critical minerals, private capital mobilization for infrastructure, and wildfire management, as well as in peace talks supported by G7 members. Women earn less than men, spend 2.5 times more time on unpaid domestic and care work,[1] and have less access to capital and financial services. Women and girls across the world are targeted by sexual and gender-based violence, from workplace harassment to intimate partner violence, AI-generated pornographic deepfakes, and sexual violence in conflict, including conflict fuelled by the quest for critical minerals. Structural change is needed.
If the G7 proceeds with adopting new initiatives without integrating gender perspectives, it will effectively reinforce existing inequalities. It will also miss a significant opportunity to build more secure and prosperous societies, as studies consistently demonstrate a link between gender equality and peace, security, and economic growth. For example, countries with women comprising only 10% of the workforce compared to those with 40% are nearly 30 times more likely to experience internal conflict.[2] Closing the gender gap in employment and entrepreneurship—including in the G7 policy areas—could raise global GDP by more than 20%, essentially doubling the current global growth rate over the next decade.[3] Governments would make significant savings if they addressed gender-based violence, which costs them up to 3.7% of their GDP.[4] Bridging the gender digital divide could save US$500 billion in the coming years.[5] In the finance sector, 70% of women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have insufficient or no access to financial services, and the global financing gap for women entrepreneurs is estimated to be US$1.7 trillion,[6] highlighting a significant, untapped economic opportunity.
As the G7 seeks to invest in these sectors and tackle transnational repression (TNR) and the smuggling of migrants, it has a historic opportunity to unlock the full potential of gender equality and take the lead in driving productivity, innovation, and structural change that will create more equal, stable, and prosperous societies in the G7 and beyond.
To meet its commitments and achieve better outcomes for all, we call on G7 Leaders to take action in the following areas:
Private Capital Mobilization
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Invest in gender equality by supercharging development finance institutions with catalytic capital and matching funds to crowd private investment in gender-equitable infrastructure; scale up proven innovative investment vehicles, such as the Equality Fund, to provide sustainable funding for women’s rights organizations; and apply a gender-lens to infrastructure bonds in partnership with multilateral development banks and institutional investors.
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Increase accountability by mandating gender-responsive investment criteria in infrastructure funds; establish a G7 gender-smart infrastructure certification that incentivizes private developers to meet high standards on gender inclusion; and strengthen the collection, analysis, and use of sex- and/or gender-disaggregated data, including in the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment progress report.
Emerging Technology – AI and Quantum Technologies
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Remove gender bias in AI training data; increase women’s participation in AI and quantum technologies design and governance with a target of at least 30% women in executive, board, and governance roles in these sectors by 2028; support AI-adoption by women-led SMEs; launch programs for girls’ education, including mentorship, scholarships, internships, and career orientation; and create a US$1-billion G7 Women-in-Tech Innovation Fund to seed capital and scale-up grants for women-founded AI and quantum technologies companies.
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Protect women and girls from AI-facilitated violence and harassment, such as pornographic deepfakes, by promoting global standards, adopting legislation, and enforcing human rights laws; establish support systems for victims of AI-facilitated violence; and increase awareness among girls and boys through advocacy campaigns online and in schools.
Critical Minerals
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Improve accountability and maximize positive social and economic outcomes through the adoption of gender-responsive legal frameworks, international standards, and diplomatic and trade agreements that ensure companies address gender-based violence as well as uphold Indigenous rights and secure protection for environmental and human rights defenders.
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Invest in capacity building for government and other actors to deliver gender-responsive impact assessments and remedy mechanisms; improve systems for prevention and response to gender-based violence; empower women to invest in minerals value chains; fund women’s empowerment and gender justice collectives; establish and enforce gender equal parental leave provisions and equitable health-care coverage for employees and their families; and promote flexible work arrangements.
Transnational Repression
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Strengthen strategies to counter TNR through the inclusion of gender dimensions in the G7’s definition of TNR, highlighting that TNR affects people differently based on their gender identity and sexual orientation; and increase public awareness by engaging public service media to ensure there is trusted content for social media platforms to aggregate.
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Build the capacity of governments and civil society organizations to respond to the gender-based aspects of TNR by ensuring new G7 response protocols and toolkits explicitly address these aspects and use sex and/or gender disaggregated data; fund feminist and LGBTQIA+ organizations active in this area; fund research on the gender dimensions of TNR in areas in which gender-based vulnerabilities are often exploited; and train officials on the gender dimensions of TNR.
Wildfires
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Increase women’s participation and leadership in all policies, programs, and initiatives that help prevent, respond to, and recover from wildfires, including by addressing the barriers to women’s recruitment and career advancement as firefighters, such as gender stereotypes, equipment designed for men, gender-based discrimination, and sexual harassment.
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Learn from Indigenous forest management practices and include Indigenous practitioners in wildfire discussions and efforts to support all stages of emergency management; and facilitate the sharing of Indigenous and other best practices among G7 members and with third countries, from forest management practices to addressing the specific needs of women and marginalized groups during response and recovery.
Migrant Smuggling
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Consider the gender perspectives of migrant smuggling in related G7 discussions and commitments.
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Ensure that border and other law enforcement officers are trained on the gender perspectives of migrant smuggling to increase their ability to recognize and respond to the needs and vulnerabilities of women and girls in these settings.
Women, Peace, and Security
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Implement women, peace and security (WPS) action plans by upholding international humanitarian and human rights laws; fund local women-led peacebuilding organizations; eliminate systemic barriers to women’s participation in peace processes, such as discriminatory laws, cultural norms, and lack of a supportive infrastructure; combat impunity for conflict-related sexual violence; and integrate the WPS framework in defence, diplomacy and development programming.
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Include local women peacebuilders in G7 discussions on Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Israel/Palestine, Myanmar, Sudan, Ukraine and other fragile and conflict-affected settings, both at the G7 Leader level and at the next Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
Gender-Based Analysis, Data, and Accountability
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Build capacity in G7 countries to conduct gender-based analysis and implement gender-responsive policies and programs.
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Invest in comprehensive gender and sex-disaggregated data to increase accountability and inform policy decisions.
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Strengthen the G7 Dashboard on Gender Gaps by improving its indicators, including on women in AI and gender-based violence.
Investing in Gender Equality
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Ensure resources are allocated to G7 gender equality commitments.
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Introduce gender-responsive budgeting in all G7 member countries to address economic inequalities and secure the allocation of resources to address persistent gender gaps.
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Earmark funding in international development assistance and national budgets for women’s rights organizations to improve results across all G7 policy areas.
Education
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Set ambitious targets and revise school curriculums to increase women’s participation in AI, quantum technologies, and critical minerals production; enhance their financial literacy; and foster positive gender norms, including to support male allyship and prevent gender-based violence in all its forms.
Footnotes
[1] UN Women and DESA. Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The GenderSnapshot 2024. (2024)
[2] Caprioli, Mary. “Gendered Conflict,” Journal of Peace Research 37, no. 1(2000): 51–68.
[3] World Bank Group. Women, Business and the Law. (2024)
[4] World Bank Group. (2018)
[5] UN Women and DESA. Op. cit.
[6] International Finance Corporation. (2017)
