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W7 (Women 7)

Website:

women7.org
Type:

Feminist Activist Organization
Formation:

2018

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W7, also known as Women 7 or W7: Feminist Visions for the G7, 1 is a collection of 60 feminist activists from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the global south that meets in the leadup to G7 summits. The Group seeks to influence the G7 to advance feminist priorities, 2 including abortion access 3 and gender identity. 4

History and Activities

The W7 is a group of 60 representatives of different feminist organizations from around the world that pressures G7 leaders to adopt feminist priorities. 5 As of 2023, there have been five W7 conferences. The first in Canada in 2018, the second in France in 2019, the third in the United Kingdom in 2021, the fourth in Germany in 2022, and the fifth in Japan in 2023. There was no W7 summit in 2020. 6

The first W7 conference began on April 25, 2018, when a group of feminist activist and organizations gathered together to influence the 44th G7 Summit of leaders of industrialized democracies, 7 which met in Canada from June 8 to 9, 2018.  8 The goal of the conference was to ensure feminism was a top priority at the G7 Summit and to ensure G7 leaders focused on gender equality, 9 transforming power relationships between the sexes, and overcoming what it the feminist organizations perceived as structural inequalities facing women. 10

In 2019, the W7 was held in Paris, France led by CARE France and Equipop. 11 The 2019 W7 condemned G7 leaders for not having feminist organizations and associations at the table with G7 leaders. The W7 also insisted that the G7 include abortion rights in all its commitments. 12

In 2021, the W7 was held in the United Kingdom from April 21 to 22. The 2022 W7 was officially recognized by the government of the United Kingdom as an official “engagement group” whose communiques would be shared with G7 leaders. The 2021 W7 was co-chaired by the gender and Development Network and Gender Action for Peace and Security. 13

The purpose of 2021 UK W7 was to pressure G7 leaders to adopt feminist priorities through concrete financial promises and political commitments.  This included advocating for gender-focused climate change policy, the participation of women to address structural racism, a focus on women’s economic empowerment in COVID-19 recovery, knocking down structural barriers preventing girls from higher education, and support for abortion. 14

In 2022, the W7 was chaired by the National Council of German Women’s Organization and was held from May 24 to 25, 2022. The 2022 W7 conference focused on economic rights, a gender-focused response to the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, adopting the principles of feminism in foreign policy, gender-based violence, and accountability within the G7. 15

In 2023, the W7 was held in Japan and hosted by the Gender Unit of the Japan Civil Society Network. The 2023 W7 had 90 representatives from feminist organizations and had five working groups focused on women’s empowerment, economic justice, abortion and gender identity, feminist foreign policy, and financing gender equality. 16

Leadership

The chair of the W7 is held by a feminist organization or multiple feminist organizations based in the nation that is hosting the official G7 summit that year. 17

References

  1. “The W7” Gad Network. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://gadnetwork.org/w7-summit.
  2. “W7: Feminist Visions for the G7.” Inter Pares. March 23, 2018. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://interpares.ca/news/w7-feminist-visions-g7.
  3. Oas, Rebecca. “G7 Rejection Abortion Language in Final Communique.” C-Fam. August 29, 2019. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://c-fam.org/friday_fax/g7-rejects-abortion-language-in-final-communique/.
  4. “Who we are.” W7 Japan 2023. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://women7.org/who_we_are/.
  5. “G7 Homepage.” G7 Germany. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://www.g7germany.de/g7-en/current-information/dialogue-women7-2022832.
  6. “Past W7.” Wy Japan 2023. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://women7.org/past_w7/.
  7.  “W7: Feminist Visions for the G7.” Nobel Women’s Initiative. April 23, 2018. Archived December 6, 2022. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20221206105001/https://nobelwomensinitiative.org/w7-feminist-visions-for-the-g7/.
  8. “44th G7 Summit, 8-9 June 2019. European Sources Online. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://www.europeansources.info/record/44th-g7-summit-8-9-june-2018/.
  9. “W7: Feminist Visions for the G7.” Nobel Women’s Initiative. April 23, 2018. Archived December 6, 2022. Accessed November 20, 2023.  https://web.archive.org/web/20221206105001/https://nobelwomensinitiative.org/w7-feminist-visions-for-the-g7/.
  10. “W7: Feminist Visions for the G7.” Inter Pares. March 23, 2018. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://interpares.ca/news/w7-feminist-visions-g7.
  11. “W7 2019- France.” W7 Japan 2023. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://women7.org/w7-2019-france/.
  12. Oas, Rebecca. “G7 Rejection Abortion Language in Final Communique.” C-Fam. August 29, 2019. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://c-fam.org/friday_fax/g7-rejects-abortion-language-in-final-communique/.
  13. “The W7” Gad Network. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://gadnetwork.org/w7-summit.
  14.  “The W7” Gad Network. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://gadnetwork.org/w7-summit.
  15. “G7 Homepage.” G7 Germany. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://www.g7germany.de/g7-en/current-information/dialogue-women7-2022832.
  16. “Who we are.” W7 Japan 2023. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://women7.org/who_we_are/.
  17.  “G7 Homepage.” G7 Germany. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://www.g7germany.de/g7-en/current-information/dialogue-women7-2022832.; “W7.” W7 Japan 2023. Accessed November 20, 2023. https://women7.org/
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