RIYADH — Salma Al-Rasheed, a member of the women 20 engagement group (W20) reviewed the most important findings of the group after a series of meetings, dialogues, partnerships, and actions that it worked on during five years. Al-Rasheed drew the attention during her participation in the second day of the G20 summit program to the difficulties that women faced locally and internationally due to the coronavirus pandemic, stressing that the negative effects of this pandemic affected women more than men due to the damages suffered by the private sector and its workers. She cited a report the W20 prepared in collaboration with Accenture titled “If not now, when? A roadmap towards a more gender-equitable economic recovery”. Among the key findings in the report, Al-Rasheed mentioned that women have seen their earnings decline almost two thirds more sharply than men, dropping by 16.5 percent on average since the pandemic began, compared with a drop of 10.1 percent for men.” Al-Rasheed emphasized that the W20 group, in this regard, discussed the status of women during the pandemic and their potential to support the economy and accelerate its recovery. She expressed optimism that the G20 will deal with the issue, seizing a good opportunity to reset economies by developing plans for the recovery, stressing that women are an essential part in speeding up the recovery process. Al-Rasheed indicated that the W20 group identified the main areas centered on the inclusion of women in all segments of society, economy, and industry after devising a two-pronged strategy for economic recovery. The first seeks to accelerate the process of economic recovery and the second lies in achieving Sustainable Development Goals by supporting the social and economic empowerment of women. She noted the qualitative leap that has been achieved for women at the local and international levels during the past five years by giving them an excellent opportunity to prove their capabilities in the development of their country and society, stressing the need for women to make the most of the situation.