OWIT Work Related to the G7
By Georgina Wainwright-Kendirim, VP Policy, OWIT-Ottawa
OWIT-Canada (Ottawa and Toronto chapters) issued a policy statement for G7 consideration in advance of the G7 Summit hosted by Canada in Kananaskis, Alberta in June 2025. Our statement aimed to meet the moment given the trade war with the United States and lack of specific recommendations related to trade in support of women workers, business owners, or consumers emerging from the W7 or B7 communiques. OWIT-Canada’s policy statement, therefore, was focused on issues that would advance the interests of women in trade in G7 members. In the statement, we recommended the following key actions by the G7:
- Ensure that women workers and business owners are not disproportionately affected by tariffs or counter measures.
- Ensure that all trade agreements remove barriers to participation and benefit women in all their diversity.
- Establish innovative policies and programs to support women business owners in their entrepreneurship journey and participation in trade.
The G7 did not adopt any of our recommendations as indicated in the Chair’s Summary. The Chair’s Summary, however, did reference that G7 discussions were “informed by the recommendations of the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council (GEAC), which stressed the social and economic benefits of gender equality, and of all G7 engagement groups.” The GEAC recommended promoting gender equality to build more prosperous societies, and noted 70% of women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises have insufficient or no access to financial services, and the global financing gap for women entrepreneurs is estimated to be US$1.7 trillion, highlighting a significant, untapped economic opportunity. As a member of the W7 engagement group this year, OWIT-Canada was able to ensure that the W7 include a recommendation to the G7 to “provide tailored support for women entrepreneurs and ensure their equal access to finance, markets, and procurement opportunities, including public procurement.”
OWIT-Canada continues to participate on the W7 for the remainder of 2025. The W7 plans to work to advance its recommendations in the context of the G20 which is Chaired by South Africa in 2025. South Africa has selected the themes of Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability to inform and guide their work this year, and the W20 is one of 13 engagement groups active. The W20 has identified seven thematic task areas and Entrepreneurship and Financial Inclusion is one of them. OWIT-Canada plans to continue to promote increased awareness of women in trade at the G20 working with other OWIT chapters globally, particularly OWIT-International and OWIT chapters in Africa.
