India’s Chamber of Commerce and UN Women partner to advance gender equality and empower women in business
Date:
New Delhi, India – The UN Women Multi-Country Office (MCO) for India, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in New Delhi to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in the business sector. The strategic partnership will help advance equal opportunities and rights for women in the workplace, marketplace and communities.
FICCI is a non-government, not-for-profit organization, articulating the views and concerns of business and industry. Through its association with regional chambers of commerce, FICCI engages with nearly 250,000 companies throughout the country.
Rebecca Tavares, Country Representative, UN Women India MCO and Jyotsna Suri, President, FICCI, and Chairperson and Managing Director of Bharat Hotels, signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organisations.
“FICCI is upbeat about its partnership with UN Women,” said Ms. Suri. “This MoU will enable us to identify, facilitate and influence business practices that promote gender equality and women empowerment – the two vital components for advancing development and enhancing representation of women across all sectors and levels of economic activity”.
Dr. Tavares said the strengthened partnership would advance progress on a shared goal – to bring about transformative changes for women in the private sector.
“The new Sustainable Development Goals, which are expected to shape policies and social investments for the next generation, strongly emphasize the role of the private sector in the implementation of the Goals. Our agreement here today is in line with that vision,” she said.
The collaboration, she added, would set an example for businesses and motivate them to “prioritize equal opportunities and representation of women in all layers of management, supply chains, and markets, right up to the boardroom”.
As the first step in this partnership, UN Women will collaborate with FICCI for the first ever FICCI-FLO Film Festival on women’s empowerment and the Global Symposium on ‘Gender in Media’ presented by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media in Mumbai in February 2016.
The MoU will provide a framework for both organisations to promote research and advocacy on gender responsive policies in select sectors. It will also ensure capacity building of women professionals enabling them to assume leadership roles in line with the provisions of the recent Companies Act 2013.
The two organisations will also work to promote HeForShe, UN Women’s global campaign that calls on men and boys to join the solidarity movement for gender equality. More than a million men and boys from around the world including Heads of State, CEOs, celebrities, and global luminaries have pledged their support to the campaign. UN Women and FICCI will work to create a network of HeForShe Corporate Partners – companies that have institutionalized strong ethical practices and equitable gender policies; demonstrated global excellence in their field of business; and can commit their expertise and other corporate resources to end gender inequality in their workplaces, business and supply chain, community and marketing practices.
For more information contact:
Nishtha Satyam
Advisor, Strategic Partnerships, UN Women
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