India contributes US$ 500,000 to UN Women; highlights importance given to women-led development during G20 Presidency

India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ruchira Kamboj presented a check of USD 500,000 to UN Women on Monday as India's contribution to its core voluntary budget. The move highlighted the priority India accords to women-led development under its G20 Presidency. Under Secretary General and Executive Director of UN Women Sima Sami Bahous received the check on behalf of the organization. Ambassador Kamboj reiterated India's unwavering commitment to gender equality, women's empowerment, and gender mainstreaming, which are aligned with the UN Women's mandate. She also urged UN Women to leverage the power of information and communication technologies (ICT) and new technologies to further empower women. According to the official statement from the Permanent Mission to the UN, India has consistently supported the goals and programs of UN Women and is happy to have been a founding member of the Executive Board of UN Women and is presently serving as a member. It added that India supports the development-focused approach of UN Women and fits with the national interests of program nations. The statement further emphasized that India's G20 leadership views women-led development as a top priority. WOMEN-LED DEVELOPMENT TOP PRIORITY DURING INDIA'S G20 PRESIDENCY Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stressed on the need to prioritize women-led development as a key agenda item during India's G20 Presidency. This vision sees women as active contributors to India's growth and development rather than just passive beneficiaries. With increased internet and mobile penetration, women's entrepreneurship has scaled substantially in India. In fact, India has more women-owned enterprises than many other countries, estimated at 13.5 million to 15.7 million MSMEs and agribusinesses. The G20 recognized the crucial role of gender equality in achieving the newly-articulated Sustainable Development Goals. To address this, the Women20 (W20) engagement group for women's empowerment was established during Turkey's presidency in 2015. India's G20 presidency aims to prioritize inclusive growth and development, with women's representation and empowerment at the center. The W20 engagement group seeks to embed gender considerations into policies and commitments that promote gender parity. The first Inception Meet of W20 India took place in Maharashtra's Aurangabad in February 2023, where priority areas including Women's Entrepreneurship, Grassroot Women Leadership, Bridging the Gender Digital Divide, Education & Skill Development, and Climate Change were widely discussed. The W20 also accommodates key stakeholders from tribal and rural areas, agriculture, handloom & handicrafts sector, micro & nano enterprises, SHGs, Anganwadis, adolescent girls, women living in urban slums, and homemakers to ensure intersectional representation. As a result, India's G20 presidency will be crucial in fostering cooperation and providing further momentum for women's economic development. As a game-changer for promoting women's economic growth in India, this will be an ideal opportunity for India to shed light on gender mainstreaming excellent practices used by other nations.