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From self help groups to ‘mahila sarpanchs’ India brings focus on grassroots at G20 meet | India News
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AGRA: Decked up with billboards and colourful wall paintings telling the stories of India’s cultural diversity to set in motion the inception meeting of “G20 EMPOWER”, Agra became the city where the scale of India’s women-led “Self Help Group” story and that of the mahila sarpanchs and elected women representatives providing leadership at the Panchayat level held centrestage. At the power packed opening of a two-day meeting, minister for women and child development Smriti Irani made a strong pitch for putting women centrestage in all policy planning at a global level.
In her keynote address at the inception Meeting in Agra, the WCD minister said, “If you want to get your future right, if you want to be future-ready, make sure that women are at the centre of the discourse, and that women are at the centre of your decision.”
Getting more women into fields that they have not been seen as part of traditionally and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) will be a core point of the deliberations of G20 EMPOWER. She said that getting more women in STEM is an important part of the vision of New India and the role of women in finding solutions to global challenges through these fields.
The G20 Alliance for the Empowerment and Progression of Women’s Economic Representation (EMPOWER) is an alliance of G20 business leaders and governments that aims to accelerate women’s leadership and empowerment in the private sector.
The consensus that emerges from the thematic discussions in these meetings would form part of the Communique for the G20 EMPOWER 2023 and would be provided as recommendations to the G20 leaders.
Sharing that representatives from 13 member countries, seven guest countries and over 145 participants across sessions and another 80 in side events set off day one of the G20 EMPOWER inception meeting, Irani highlighted that the three focus areas under India’s G20 Presidency are to be: “Women’s Entrepreneurship: A win-win for Equity and Economy”, “Partnership for promoting women’s leadership at all levels including at grassroots” and “Education, the key to women’s empowerment and equal workforce participation”. Digital skilling will be a cross-cutting theme across the three focus areas.
Irani in her keynote address emphasised the scale of India’s SHG story, highlighted the importance of women’s leadership at grassroots levels and efforts for ensuring availability of banking and financial services to every woman.
“One needs to recognise that when it comes to grassroots leadership there are 3 million women across the world who are quantified but are not recognised in terms of the international discourse,” she said adding that one sees that the focus is mostly on women elected to higher offices like Parliament or assembly.
“It is for the first time under the G20 presidency female agenda that we have brought focus on the journey of the elected representatives at the grassroots of democracy,” Irani said.
An exhibition at the venue of the meet showcased the best practices and initiatives from various states. There was on display a counter that prominently showcased a variety of millets and their stories for the delegates to learn from.
Meanwhile, in his special address, former Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant who is G20 Sherpa indicated that for India to further increase its rate of growth, it would be essential to raise women’s per capita income and put them into positions of leadership.
Dr Sangita Reddy, Chairperson, G20 EMPOWER said that using digital inclusion, the alliance will drive women’s leadership through digital skilling and fluency. She highlighted two India-led platforms that can drive the global women’s empowerment agenda.
“A platform developed by the Government of India, NASSCOM Foundation and others for digital literacy and future skilling, with a curriculum that would be developed for use in India and the World,” she said. She also shared that a mentorship platform for women that has been developed in partnership with NITI Aayog, which is expected to be launched soon.
In her keynote address at the inception Meeting in Agra, the WCD minister said, “If you want to get your future right, if you want to be future-ready, make sure that women are at the centre of the discourse, and that women are at the centre of your decision.”
Getting more women into fields that they have not been seen as part of traditionally and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) will be a core point of the deliberations of G20 EMPOWER. She said that getting more women in STEM is an important part of the vision of New India and the role of women in finding solutions to global challenges through these fields.
The G20 Alliance for the Empowerment and Progression of Women’s Economic Representation (EMPOWER) is an alliance of G20 business leaders and governments that aims to accelerate women’s leadership and empowerment in the private sector.
The consensus that emerges from the thematic discussions in these meetings would form part of the Communique for the G20 EMPOWER 2023 and would be provided as recommendations to the G20 leaders.
Sharing that representatives from 13 member countries, seven guest countries and over 145 participants across sessions and another 80 in side events set off day one of the G20 EMPOWER inception meeting, Irani highlighted that the three focus areas under India’s G20 Presidency are to be: “Women’s Entrepreneurship: A win-win for Equity and Economy”, “Partnership for promoting women’s leadership at all levels including at grassroots” and “Education, the key to women’s empowerment and equal workforce participation”. Digital skilling will be a cross-cutting theme across the three focus areas.
Irani in her keynote address emphasised the scale of India’s SHG story, highlighted the importance of women’s leadership at grassroots levels and efforts for ensuring availability of banking and financial services to every woman.
“One needs to recognise that when it comes to grassroots leadership there are 3 million women across the world who are quantified but are not recognised in terms of the international discourse,” she said adding that one sees that the focus is mostly on women elected to higher offices like Parliament or assembly.
“It is for the first time under the G20 presidency female agenda that we have brought focus on the journey of the elected representatives at the grassroots of democracy,” Irani said.
An exhibition at the venue of the meet showcased the best practices and initiatives from various states. There was on display a counter that prominently showcased a variety of millets and their stories for the delegates to learn from.
Meanwhile, in his special address, former Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant who is G20 Sherpa indicated that for India to further increase its rate of growth, it would be essential to raise women’s per capita income and put them into positions of leadership.
Dr Sangita Reddy, Chairperson, G20 EMPOWER said that using digital inclusion, the alliance will drive women’s leadership through digital skilling and fluency. She highlighted two India-led platforms that can drive the global women’s empowerment agenda.
“A platform developed by the Government of India, NASSCOM Foundation and others for digital literacy and future skilling, with a curriculum that would be developed for use in India and the World,” she said. She also shared that a mentorship platform for women that has been developed in partnership with NITI Aayog, which is expected to be launched soon.
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