Canada’s Trudeau to unveil gender equality plan at G7

Ottawa (AFP) – Canada will unveil measures to educate women in crisis zones when it hosts leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized nations summit next month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in an exclusive interview with AFP.

Trudeau will announce the launch of a G7 advisory council on gender equality when he meets with the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States on June 8-9 in La Malbaie, Quebec.

“Gender parity, the defense of women’s rights, the inclusion of LGBT and other minorities in society is not just a moral argument, it is an economic imperative,” Trudeau told AFP.

The Canadian leader said he would encourage his peers to tackle this issue in developing countries, where “a lot of investment” is required, especially “in places of crisis, in refugee camps (where) education for girls is almost absent.”

“If, as a G7 country, we can invest in the education of women and girls in crisis, we will reduce the impact of the crisis… and make sure not to lose a generation,” he said.

Such an investment would also help preserve the ability of “these women and girls to contribute to a better world,” according to Trudeau.

At the G7 summit, the leaders also plan to discuss other major international issues, such as the fate of the Iran nuclear deal after the US pulled out, the conflict in Syria, upcoming North Korea talks and global trade tensions.