Saudi Arabia’s monarchy is hosting the Women 20 summit next week, which is the section of the G20 summit focused on women. Our U20 (Urban20) actions resulted in the mayors of LA, NYC, London, and Paris dropping out of the summit. We think if we can flood the inboxes of two W20 delegates, Melissa Fisher and Barbara Cleary, we can get them to drop out too. ACT NOW!

Dear John,

In just a few days, Saudi Arabia is set to host this year’s G20 summit. The conference will include the Women 20 (W20) subgroup to advise the G20 on gender equality and women’s economic empowerment — all while brave Saudi women’s rights activists remain imprisoned for their bravery. 

We consider it incongruous to be an advocate for gender equality and a voice for women, yet participate in an event hosted by a kingdom notorious for its abhorrent human and women’s rights record. Saudi Arabia is a beautiful country full of brave people who want better leadership for the place they call home. So in advance of the summit, we are asking the delegates to prioritize the wellbeing of Saudi people and decline to attend this year’s W20 summit. 

Our next targets: Melissa Fisher, a professor based in New York City, and Barbara Cleary, a trustee of the National Alliance of Women’s Organizations (NAWO) from the United Kingdom. If we flood their inboxes with emails asking them to drop out of the summit, maybe they will reconsider their attendance. Will you send our email to Melissa Fischer and Barbara Cleary asking them not to attend Saudi Arabia’s W20 summit? 

Ask W20 delegates to stand up for Saudi activists and refuse to attend this year’s summit! 

Saudi Arabia’s leadership has a long history of repressing human rights and ruthlessly punishing peaceful activists. In recent years, many Saudi women activists, such as Loujain al-Hathloul, Samar Badawi, and even the Crown Prince’s own cousin, Princess Basmah bint Saud, have been arrested, imprisoned, and tortured, simply for advocating for women’s and human rights in their country. Saudi Arabia is not hosting this year’s W20 events because it truly cares about gender equality. Rather, it is merely a show to distract from the country’s repression, violence, and human rights abuses. Already, delegate Lyric Thompson has announced she will not be attending the summit. Plus, the mayors of several major cities, including New York, Los Angeles, London, and Paris, dropped out of the Urban 20 mayors’ summit. We believe that Melissa, Barbara, and their fellow delegates have an opportunity to truly advocate for women and draw global attention to Saudi Arabia’s mistreatment of its female citizens. 

If you, too, care about the rights of women in Saudi Arabia and around the world, will you please email Melissa Fischer and Barbara Cleary asking that they decline to attend this year’s W20 summit? The more emails they receive, the harder our request will be to ignore. 

Tell Melissa Fischer and Barbara Cleary: MBS does not care about women’s rights. Drop out of the Women 20 delegation now! 

We at CODEPINK know: if even one woman is not free, none of us are free. That is why we have spent years fighting the brutality and inequality perpetuated by the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Along with our partner Freedom Forward, we have already convinced one W20 delegate and several Urban 20 delegates to drop out of the summit, and with your help, we are confident we can convince more to decline attendance as well. It is time to stand up and speak out for Saudi women. 

Toward peace, 
Danaka, Ariel, Ann, Angela, Carley, Caty, Cody, Emily, Jodie, Kelsey, Leila, Leonardo, Maxine, Mary, Medea, Michelle, Nancy, Paki, Teri, and Yousef