Indian mission in UN hosts discussion on women empowerment

The Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations organized a virtual high-level panel discussion titled "A World We Women and Girls Want: Technology enabled Social and Economic Advancement" in collaboration with All India Women's Education Fund Association (AIWEFA), a well-known Indian NGO in the field of women empowerment.

The occasion was planned in conjunction with the Commission on Status of Women's 67th session. "Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls" was the session's primary theme.

The panel discussion was organized as part of the 'India Roundtables' at the United Nations, held to mark India@75. The discussions will highlight India's achievements in a variety of development areas, including women's empowerment, financial inclusion, social development, climate action, and others.

The keynote speech was delivered by Smriti Irani, Minister of Women and Child Development. Other eminent panelists were Ruchira Kamboj, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, Ilana Victorya Seid, Permanent Representative of Palau, Inga Rhonda King, Permanent Representative of Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Anna Karin Eneström, Permanent Representative of Sweden and Anita Bhatia, assistant secretary general and deputy executive director of U.N. Women. The session was moderated by  Rita Menon, president of AIWEFA.

During the event, Kamboj emphasized that, internationally, women make up 36.2 percent of students enrolled in the field of STEM, but in India, it is almost equal to that of men.

‌‌The Government of India has implemented programmes like WEST (Women in Engineering, Science, and Technology), Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA), Government e-Marketplace (GEM), and Mahila e-Haat to promote gender digital literacy and encourage women and girls to pursue careers in technology.