WeeklySA_AdminCORNERSTONE: The conference signalled a shared determination to confront entrenched inequalities
By Monk Nkomo
Expanding women’s access to finance, digital tools and entrepreneurship opportunities , must take place alongside efforts to end gender-based violence and femicide, according to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
In his opening address at the International Women’s Forum Global Cornerstone Conference held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, Ramaphosa said these initiatives reflected a shared commitment to a world where women can realise their full potential.
It was an honour to open this Conference which celebrated women’s leadership and which advanced empowerment and equality.
‘’ In this effort, we are inspired by the many women who, against extraordinary odds, have transformed adversity into opportunity. Women who, despite systemic discrimination, have pioneered businesses , led communities and developed innovative solutions that have improved the lives of millions’’, said Ramaphosa.
He added that these were the women who had raised families while pursuing education, who had crossed cultural and structural barriers to lead in fields where they were invisible. ‘’ These stories of resilience remind us that progress is not just about policy, it is about courage, creativity and persistence.’’
This Conference invoked the concept and the practice of Ubuntu: “I am because we are.”
Ramaphosa said the conference was a call to recognise shared humanity, interdependence and the collective power of women in shaping society. South Africa was honoured to host this gathering of thought leaders, innovators and change-makers who were shaping the contours of our global future.
‘’Your presence here signals a shared determination to confront entrenched inequalities, to champion inclusive growth and to create pathways that empower women everywhere. The work of the International Women’s Forum echoes the principles underpinning South Africa’s G20 Presidency – Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability.’’
Ramaphosa added that just two days ago, they had launched the first-ever G20 Report on Global Inequality. The report was produced by an Extraordinary Committee led by Nobel Laureate, Professor Joseph Stiglitz. The report sounded an alarm about the “inequality emergency” the world was facing today.
The report showed that between 2000 and 2024, one percent of the world’s population captured 41 percent of all new wealth, while just one percent of new wealth went to the poorest half of humanity.
‘’It found that in more economically unequal societies, fewer women complete higher education or are represented in the legislature, and the pay gap between women and men is wider. These are significant barriers to women’s advancement and development’’.
This Conference, the President said, took place just days after ministers from G20 countries responsible for women’s empowerment, convened in the province of Gauteng.
The ministers’ meeting placed women’s empowerment at the centre of the G20 agenda, focusing on advancing the care economy, expanding women’s financial inclusion and eliminating gender-based violence and femicide.
‘’The recognition, reduction and redistribution of unpaid care and domestic work is essential to addressing structural barriers to women’s empowerment’’.
With over 8,400 members throughout the world, representing business, government, academia and civil society, the International Women’s Forum community demonstrated the power of collective leadership and ethical, progressive influence.
This conference, said Ramaphosa, was a platform to examine how women in leadership can not only respond to today’s challenges but anticipate the opportunities of tomorrow.
The sessions at this conference brought global perspectives from women leading large institutions and shaping entire communities.
These discussions were especially timely in a world of shifting geopolitics, where multilateralism was tested and new forms of cooperation were urgently needed.
‘’There is a resurgence of resistance to the gains made on human rights and gender equality. There is a danger that the advancements made with respect to women’s empowerment, women’s rights and gender equality may be unravelled. My call to everyone here today is: let us work together to ensure there is no backsliding on the progress we have achieved so far.
Let us move forward with greater purpose and determination’’.
Ramaphosa made an appeal to continue being guided by the spirit of Ubuntu and to recognise that their progress was intertwined and that when women rose, societies should rise with them.
‘’When women prosper, the whole community benefits. When girls are educated, the economy flourishes.
Today, we celebrate not only the leaders in this room but also the millions of women worldwide who, through courage and ingenuity, are transforming their communities and breaking down barriers for the next generation. This is our moment to reflect, to strategise and to act’’.
His wish was to see the outcomes of this meeting extending beyond the conference walls, influencing policy, transforming institutions and ultimately, creating a more equitable and just world.
