Martina Jaureguy Argentina was the only G20 member country that refused to sign a gender equality and women empowerment statement put forward by Brazil on Monday. The document includes a list of commitments aimed at “ending gender-based violence and misogyny.”
The decision has further tensed the relationship with Brazil, which currently holds the temporary presidency of the G20. An official from the Lula da Silva administration criticized Argentina’s refusal, calling it part of an “advance of the far right.”
The G20 — which groups the countries with the largest economies in the world — is made up of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Republic of South Africa, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, African Union, and the European Union.
The document signed by ministers in charge of gender issues of each country includes a list of issues women and girls face due to sexism and misogyny. It mentions gender-based violence, poverty, the pay gap, and the violation of their sexual and reproductive rights. The statement also included the commitments member countries are willing to make to end them. It should be noted that the G20 does not enforce compliance with these measures.
President Javier Milei’s stance on gender demands was clear far before he became president. He promised to eliminate the Women, Genders, and Diversity Ministry while on the campaign trail and did it as soon as he took office. He also closed the anti-discrimination organism INADI and has wiped down most government policies regarding gender equality and diversity.
Milei defended his stance against “the woke agenda’s collectivism” in his first speech at the United Nations headquarters at the end of September, accusing the international organization of promoting a “socialist” agenda. Argentina also declined to endorse a key UN pact that aims for member countries to commit to action on issues including peace, poverty, climate change, and gender equality.
Da Silva will host the next presidents’ G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro on November 18 and 19. The Argentine Foreign Ministry confirmed to the Herald that Milei will attend the event. This will be the first time the two leaders meet in person after almost a year of strained exchanges.
The Argentine president has called his Brazilian counterpart “corrupt” and “a communist” on several occasions. At the start of his term, he argued that he would not trade with Brazil. Lula, on the other hand, has demanded Milei apologize for having said “a lot of stupid things” about Brazil.
“When the far right moves forward, women lose,” wrote on X Vanessa Dolce de Faria, a gender issues representative for the Brazilian Foreign Relations Ministry. “Argentina was the only G20 country that did not join the gender equality consensus. The Brazilian presidency stands its ground that equality is non-negotiable.”