The G20 summit has always been a big deal. That may be news to most of us who don’t know what the G20 is or why it matters, but trust me it’s a big deal.

So what is the G20 exactly? The G20 is a collection of governments and leaders from 20 of the world’s economic powerhouses. The list includes 19 countries, and the European Union. Basically, the who’s who of the developed world come together to discuss, and (hopefully) revolutionize, global financial concerns.

The next G20 summit is going to be in Turkey come November, and all of us here at Global Citizen are hoping that this year’s summit renews the commitments to girls and women that were made during last year's summit in Brisbane. Last year, G20 leaders committed to reducing the gap between men and women in the workforce by 25%, bringing 100 million women into the workforce by 2025. That’s an ambitious goal, and G20 leaders should be applauded for it, but commitments are easier than actions, and sadly G20 leaders have yet to put their money where their mouth is.

Raising female labor force participation means member states will have to account for a multitude of factors that keep women out of the office, both the cultural and the structural. Things like access to affordable childcare, paid parental leave for both men and women, empowering women through financial education and encouraging female entrepreneurship, and removing legal barriers that restrict women’s autonomy (i.e getting a job or opening a bank account without their husband’s permission) all must be addressed to get 100 million more women working by 2025.

A couple G20 member states have made sizable steps towards achieving the benchmark set for 2025: Germany, for example, has introduced a policy that calls on publicly listed companies to have at least 30% of board posts filled by women.

Likewise, Indonesia has strengthened its Ministry of Women’s Empowerment & Children Protection which has the oh so manageable tasks of providing programs and gender responsive government policies, ensuring improvement and fulfillment of women’s rights, improving the fulfillment of children’s rights--to name a few.

Canada, France, and Argentina have also improved societal conditions for women (and thereby allowing them easier entry into the workforce), one of the most notable policies being Argentina’s commitment to providing self identified trans-women with access to critical services, and human right protections.

Unfortunately, not all member states have taken actions to make their commitments to women a reality.  Countries like Turkey (the host of the 2015 summit), Brazil, Italy, and Mexico have expressed support for increasing female labor force participation, and overall measures aimed at achieving gender equality, but their support stops at rhetoric.

The 2015 G20 summit will have women in mind. There are numerous recommendations coming from G20 framework groups, such as the C20 (Civil Society 20), B20 (Business 20), and the L20 (labour 20), which advise G20 leaders on what to prioritize. The C20 especially has set forth recommendations for tackling the gender pay gap by introducing and enforcing rules that ensure equal pay for equal work, and fight against occupational segregation by supporting the role of women as technology producers and entrepreneurs.   

This year’s G20 conference has the potential to be a phenomenal win for girls and women if G20 leaders are willing to step up and make their previous commitments a reality. Turkey, as the host of the summit, should set an example for the rest of the world and strengthen and enact the commitments she has made on behalf of girls and women. Last year’s summit set the tone for the next 10 years. This year’s summit should be about action.

If you agree, then TAKE ACTION NOW by signing this petition urging G20 leaders to make girls & women a top priority.