Javier Milei infuriates G20 by rejecting call for gender equality

Javier Milei became world famous for the radical economic policies he’s implementing in Argentina, but it’s his lesser known views on gender equality and climate change that are angering Group of 20 leaders who are set to meet in Rio de Janeiro next month. 

Under Milei’s guidance, Argentine negotiators earlier this month refused to sign a statement on female empowerment that had the support of all other G20 nations, including those not exactly at the vanguard of women’s rights such as Saudi Arabia. Brazil then issued a chair statement on the theme, noting that all G20 members except Argentina had agreed to the text. 

It was never a secret that the libertarian Milei espoused some controversial ideas about feminism, which he sees as unconstitutional for undermining gender equality, and climate change, which he doesn’t consider a man-made phenomenon and much less a priority for developing nations. But this is probably the first time that his rhetoric has practical consequences, and one of them is to incense fellow G20 nations, according to several officials working on the preparation of the summit scheduled for November 18-19.

One of them said the Argentines are playing the role of extremists, potentially forcing the group to conclude the summit with a communiqué signed by only 19 of its members. Another said Milei is against the whole 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development sponsored by the United Nations. All of them requested anonymity to talk about closed-door discussions.

Argentina’s Foreign Ministry and Milei’s chief spokesman Manuel Adorni did not respond immediately to requests for comment.

The issue is irking this year’s G20 host, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who’s had a fraught relationship with his Argentine counterpart since his election last year. In early October, Brazil’s G20 representatives suspended the discussion on women’s empowerment for hours as Argentina wouldn’t budge on its stance. Group of Seven nations, the richest among the G20, even reached out to top Argentine diplomats seeking a compromise but returned empty handed, according to one of the officials.

Milei’s opposition to what had been widely consensual ideas at the G20 stands to be one of his boldest foreign policy moves during his first year in office. He’s travelled to the US, Brazil and Spain this year to praise Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro while snubbing, or even insulting, sitting presidents.