Bengaluru: At the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting at Davos, Switzerland held from 15-19 January 2024, India participated in the spirit of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, ready to shape a common future marked by global cooperation, aligning with the overarching WEF theme for the year, ‘Rebuilding Trust’.
At WEF 2024, the Indian official delegation was led by Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, Union Minister of Women & Child Development and Minority Affairs along with Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Housing & Urban Affairs, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Railways, Communications, Electronics & IT, Shri RK Singh, Secretary, DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce & Industry and other senior officers of the Government of India.
One of the key takeaways from the Forum meeting was the announcement of the launch of a “Global Good Alliance for Gender Equity and Equality” with the support and endorsement by WEF and Government of India.
The idea of this alliance emerged from the G20 Leaders’ Declaration and India’s abiding commitment to the cause of women-led development as propounded by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
The primary and stated objective of this new Alliance is to bring together global best practices, knowledge sharing and investments in the identified areas of women’s health, education, and enterprise.
The Alliance will be taking forward the commitments of the G20 leaders for the benefit of the larger global community as a follow up to the activities of the Engagement Group and initiatives under the G20 framework, inter alia, the Business 20, Women 20 and G20 EMPOWER.
At the announcement of the launch of the Alliance, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani said “On a street where money walks and politics talks, we were able to bring together the best of industry, enterprise and humanity in this grand Alliance.” She further spoke about India’s achievements including its spectacular inclusive growth story.
The Alliance has garnered support from industry leaders, including Mastercard, Uber, Tata, TVS, Bayer, Godrej, Serum Institute of India, IMD Lausanne, and over 10,000 partners from industry.
Supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the alliance will be housed and anchored by the CII Centre for Women Leadership. The World Economic Forum has come on board as a ‘Network Partner’ and Invest India as an ‘Institutional Partner’.
Given India’s abiding commitment to Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ and its continued efforts towards “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Prayas” this ‘Alliance for Global Good- Gender Equity and Equality’ is poised to be a force to reckon with on all gender related issues.
This year’s unique initiative at WEF, led by Union Minister of Women & Child Development was a first ever women leadership lounge (We Lead lounge) by CII and BMGF.
The lounge hosted various panel discussions and meetings on the themes of “Women-led Development” and increasing women’s participation in the economy, bridging the digital gender gap, engendering women’s health, etc. The lounge also showcased handicrafts by women entrepreneurs and products from tea and coffee board of India.
“We Lead” lounge facilitated the much-needed conversation around the message of global prosperity powered by women.
Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani participated in eight sessions at the WEF, including, ‘Restoring Faith in the Global Systems’, ‘BRICS in Expansion’, ‘Can India Seize its Moment’, and ‘Country Strategy Dialogue on India. Her enriching interventions in these sessions brought to focus the GOI policies and initiatives with special emphasis on gender equality and women-led development.
On the sidelines of WEF, the Union Minister held bilateral meetings with leaders from around the world, HE Noor Ali Alkhulaif Minister for Sustainable Development Kingdom of Bahrain, H.E. Mrs. Karien van Gennip, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Social Affairs and Employment of the Netherlands and H.E.Ms. Karoline Edtstadler, Federal Minister for the EU and Constitution, Federal Chancellery Republic of Austria and discussed issues of common interest and possible collaborations