Category: Women

Over 40 Delhi-based organizations have come together under the umbrella “One Billion Rising Campaign” (OBR) to raise awareness about violence against women and girls.

It organized a public event at Connaught Place, here on Sunday, and engaged the audience on various issues, like culture of violence, LGBTQ identity, child rights, women’s agency and independence and toxic masculinity.

Kamla Bhasin, a feminist activist and coordinator of OBR campaign in South Asia, said, “Since 1948 governments across the world have affirmed support to the ‘Universal Declaration’ and committed to a statement on ‘inalienable human rights’ and we are going by the letter and spirit of that and asserting year after year that all human beings are equal.”

One Billion Rising, a global campaign for an end to violence against women and girls, has spread to 207 countries since its start in 2013. The campaign celebrates the ‘power of love’ in ending violence.

Stating that the OBR is not just about the rights of women, girls, boys and men, she said but also about Dalits, minorities, trans-persons and other hidden groups.

Some of the highlights of the day included a flash mob performance titled “A Rapist in your Way”, a play by Asmita Theater, and a performance by Sumangala Damodaran, a musician who has archived all the songs from the people’s movements.

Anuja Gupta, Director of the RAHI Foundation, said the OBR was critical as it didn’t just talk about violence against women, but violence against all marginalised groups, including minorities.

“By using various art forms to build love, respect and solidarity among people and different sections, the OBR is demonstrating that people can not only counter violence but build alternative culture of peace and social cohesion,” Gupta said.

Damodaran, a singer and artist of Resistance Music, said, “The OBR 2020 is of special relevance as it’s being observed at a time when we see the growing resistance of women across the country against all forms of violence borne out of deep misogyny and communalism.”(IANS)

‘Delhi voters have resoundingly rejected the politics of hatred and defeated the forces of polarization and bigotry’ said George Abraham, Vice-Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, USA. ‘We convey hearty congratulations to Arvind Kejriwal, who pulled off a remarkable victory against the powerful BJP machine that has thrown everything at its disposal to gain power in the capital of the nation,” Abraham added.

Asia Society’s sixth annual Asia Game Changer Awards, held this year at Cipriani in New York on October 24, celebrates individuals and groups who have made a tremendous impact.

This year, for the first time, all of our honorees are women. The honorees include Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, whose political career has shattered glass ceilings in Japan; Chhaya Sharma, a police official who has solved high-profile murder cases in India; Jane Jie Sun, the trailblazing CEO of China’s Ctrip, a $25 billion travel company where more than half the employees are women; and Faiza Saeed, who became the first woman to lead Cravath, Swaine & Moore, a 200-year-old law firm.

There’s Sana Mir, one of the world’s greatest cricketers and former captain of Pakistan’s national team; Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi, a pioneer in the art world who has tirelessly promoted understanding and cultural exchange in the Middle East; and the Kung Fu Nuns of the Drukpa Lineage, who have used their martial arts skills to empower girls and women in the Himalayan region and beyond.

In addition to a celebration of these remarkable women, this year’s Asia Game Changer Awards will feature special presentations from, among others, celebrated businesswoman Indra Nooyi and figure skating champions Alex and Mai Shibutani.

Click here to learn more about the Asia Game Changer Awards and this year’s slate of honorees.

On November 19, the UN marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women at the Trusteeship Council Chambers at the UN Headquarters. It also commemorates the UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE Campaign to End Violence against Women.

One of the unique features of the commemoration is the UN’s commitment to the role of law enforcement in ending violence against women and girls in private and public spaces. This local-to-global focus at the UN will bring critical perspectives from the UN, Member States, and including for the first time, a local law enforcement agency – the New York Police Department (NYPD).

The “violence against women” movement is perhaps the greatest success story of international mobilization. However over 35 percent of women across the world face violence during their life in what the World Health Organization (WHO) calls a “global health problem of epidemic proportions.”

Over one billion women experience gender – based violence in the world. Under Secretary General Mlambo-Ngcuka has pointed out that given the magnitude of this pandemic, if it was a disease, governments and scientists would be marshalling every resource to address it.

According to research led by a group of scholars at Stanford and Oxford universities, domestic violence costs 25 times more than conflict and violent extremism and exhausts 5.2 percent of global GDP.

Despite the stark and unyielding statistics, around the world, a new energy is bringing renewed commitments from heads of state and government leaders to address the different faces of violence against women.

Eighteen years ago, when I partnered with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences on a study on domestic violence in the outskirts of Beijing, violence against women in the domestic sphere was recognized only in terms of loss of limb or eyesight.

The broadening categories of domestic violence including the recognition of economic abuse as a category of violence is part of a second generation of domestic violence laws and is in full compliance with international norms such as the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (DEVAW).

Earlier in the year, Theresa May wrote to the Guardian, “Not all abusive behavior is physical. Controlling, manipulative and verbally abusive behavior ruins lives and means thousands end up isolated, living in fear. So, for the first time, the bill will provide a statutory definition of domestic abuse that includes economic abuse, alongside other non-physical abuse.”

While older laws on gender -based violence focused on punishment, the new crop of laws focus broadly on punishment and prevention.

For example, the newly passed “anti-violence against women” law in Tunisia (2017) makes it easier to prosecute domestic abuse, and it imposes penalties for sexual harassment in public spaces. Most importantly it calls for children to be educated in schools about human rights.

Another phenomenon of this “second generation” of gender-based violence laws is a heightened recognition of a victim- centered approach and the costs of violence on the survivor, in terms of physical, economic, psychological, social and familial.

Earlier in the year, New Zealand passed legislation granting victims of domestic violence 10 days paid leave to allow them to leave their partners, find new homes and protect themselves and their children. Family violence in New Zealand is estimated to cost the country between NZ$4.1bn and $7bn a year.

One of the critical components of the UNiTe campaign is the recognition that violence against women does not take place in a vacuum. As Secretary General Antonio Gutteres has confirmed: “Violence against women is fundamentally about power. It will only end when gender equality and the full empowerment of women will be a reality.”

Mlambo- Ngcuka harnesses the full panoply of international commitments in their full majestic entirety, including the recognition that gender parity and women’s leadership is critical to UNiTe campaign to end violence against women.

In doing so she marshals international norms, from General Recommendation 12 and 19 of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the DEVAW and the Security Council Resolution 1325 and its progeny as normative and constitutive in combating violence against women.

From the HeforShe movement, which calls for male leadership in advancing women’s equality, Mlambo-Ngcuka is putting in motion a broader bedrock of structures to combat violence against women in order to address the root causes of gender inequality.

On November 19, we come together at an extraordinary moment of unprecedented momentum built by the #MeToo movement towards empowering women and achieving gender equality across the board and across the globe.

As envisioned 70 years ago, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) recognized that “contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind…” More must be done to recognize that these barbarous acts take place not only battlefields, but within hallowed halls of power, in the classrooms, in workplaces, including the paddy fields, and in our homes.

As stated in the UDHR, the commitment to end violence against women is a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations. This common standard transcends culture, tradition, power or politics.

Forbes India has released a its “W-Power Trailblazers” issue, featuring 25 women who are rising stars in business, including Chiki Sarkar, publisher, Juggernaut Books; Adhuna Bhabani, founder-director, Bblunt; Anupriya Acharya, CEO (India), Publicis Media; Kavitha Sairam, co-founder, FIB-SOL Life Technologies; and Dina Wadia and Shivpriya Nanda, joint managing partners, J. Sagar Associates, among others.

“We need to specify that this is not a ranking but a qualitative selection – a grouping of ground breakers, game-changers and innovators working across diverse sectors such as technology, law, banking, insurance, media, biotech and the startup sector,” Forbes India said in a statement.

“Mandated quotas smack of tokenism, and we have as many women who favor reservations as those who would like merit to be the decider,” said Brian Carvalho, editor of Forbes India, referring to the lack of women on company boards.

“With the overwhelming response that we received for the first edition of W-Power last year, a second edition was imminent. This issue is unique because of the methodology used in selection of the leaders. We believe that this list cannot be ranked hence we adopt a qualitative approach,” said Joy Chakraborthy, CEO-Forbes India and president, revenue, Network18. The final list of 25 was based on jury votes.

Long ago, I had written, “A woman was created to blossom and bloom, in the colours and fragrance of her choice. The way an unwatered plant becomes parched and dies, so does the personality of a woman who is struggling to break through the shackles of social conditioning and achieve recognition as an individual. The change will be complete when society recognizes that it cannot benefit from preventing the emergence of the pearl from the oyster.” Women have made their mark in every field. On International Women’s Day, we celebrate women achievers. I have always believed that there is no such thing as Destiny. We make our own Destiny. You will be what you will yourself to be. I am reminded of what The Washington Post had said, “Shahnaz Husain has done so much for her country’s image abroad that she deserves the sobriquet of India’s Beauty Ambassador.”

It was an honor. When I represented India at President Obama’s summit for entrepreneurs, I spoke on woman empowerment and got a standing ovation. I also felt honoured when I became the first woman in 107 years to receive the “World’s Greatest Woman Entrepreneur” Award from the U.S. based Success magazine. For the last four decades, I have promoted India’s herbal heritage worldwide, becoming a Harvard Case Study for International Brand Creation. Now I am a Subject at Harvard and part of the curriculum for “Emerging Markets.” There is no doubt that a woman can and will be a force to reckon with breaking the glass ceiling.

Sakhi for South Asian Women, an anti-domestic violence organization that works with the South Asian community in the New York metropolitan area, will honor two South Asian gender equality activists at its annual gala next month. Reshma Saujani, CEO and founder of Girls Who Code and Yasmeen Hassan, Global Executive Director of Equality Now will be honored at the May 4 gala.

Themed “Gender Justice: A Future For All”, the gala will be held at Tribeca Three Sixty and will celebrate 28 years of Sakhi’s service and advocacy. Sakhi for South Asian Women has fought to unite survivors, communities, and institutions to eradicate domestic violence and form healthy communities.

Sakhi’s philosophy of empowerment has always centered first on supporting women’s agency and empowering survivors to regain charge of their lives and see themselves as positive agents of change, according to a Sakhi press release. Hassan is a longtime advocate for women’s rights and notably authored the first study on domestic violence in Pakistan. “In such a critical time for women’s empowerment and gender justice, I am thrilled to be part of Sakhi’s 2017 gala,” she said.

Girls Who Code is a national nonprofit working to close to gender gap in technology and equipping young women from all walks of life with the skills to pursue 21st century opportunities. “As a passionate advocate for the rights of women and girls, I’m so excited to be part of Sakhi’s 2017 gala and participate in a much needed conversation about the future of our movement,” Saujani said.

The “Gender Justice: A Future For All” celebration will be emceed by Arun Venugopal, journalist and host of “Micropolis”, WNYC’s ongoing examination of race, sexuality, and identity. “This is an exciting year for Sakhi for South Asian Women,” says Executive Director Shalini Somayaji. “I’m looking forward to celebrating so many different groups and individuals who have been intrinsic to our success as an organization.

“As we continue to grow and adapt to better serve and advocate for New York’s South Asian women and immigrant communities, I’m grateful to take a moment to celebrate as well as look ahead to our future, and the work that must be done in our community and beyond,” the press release quoted her as saying.

Actress and activist Shabana Azmi believes that no society can claim to be a progressive society until and unless the women in that society are given their worth, are empowered. “A health or wealth of a nation cannot be determined by its GDP alone, but by its human development, in which the empowering of women is a very important yardstick,” she said. Azmi was speaking at the Indian Academy Women Achievers Award, held March 26 at The Marigold here. Indian-American women from all walks of life, as well as student achievers were honored for their contributions in the field of medicine, performing arts, education, finance and social service.

To commemorate International women’s day, Indian Academy Awards launched IAA WOMEN ACHIEVERS AWARDS; a campaign urging NRI women to share their personal success stories so that they could be rewarded and felicitated.

IAA aims at felicitating those women holding positions of decision making. We are requesting NRI women to share their real life stories in their respective field with the intention to empower the women of today.

Conceptualized by Vandana Krishna, director of Brainstorm Entertainment, the awards, an initiative of the Indian Academy Awards, aimed to share the success stories of real women to encourage and inspire the community here. “True stories of women entrepreneurs are an inspiration to change the world,” Krishna said. Today’s women are making the difference with their innovative ideas, seeking solutions and reclaiming their status as equals,” she said, adding, “We want to create a platform to honor these women and to share their success with the world.”

The IAA had invited Azmi’s NGO, Mijwan Welfare Society, to showcase the exquisite hand embroidery called Chikankari by the women of Mijwan. Along with honoring women achievers, the highlight of the evening was a fashion show by well-known designer Manish Malhotra, who showcased the ‘Mijwan Summer Couture 2017’. The fashion show was a fundraiser and the proceeds collected at the event were donated to the NGO to support education and empowerment of the girl child.

Through this event, the IAA is gearing up for its flagship event to be held in the Bay Area this June. Earlier, the academy celebrated the first of its kind, The Indian Worldwide Academy and all that it stands for. The event was announced by superstar Shah Rukh Khan in Mumbai and the U.S. Consulate in Mumbai and in January it was launched by Madhuri Dixit in California. From exchanging cultures to building bridges for tourism, engaging cinema lovers to creating a platform to identify potential talent for the Indian film industry, the IAA, is a real-time celebration for cinema lovers, by cinema lovers and of cinema lovers across the world.

Managed by Asia’s largest production company Cineyug and choreographed by Shiamak Davar, this extravaganza, will bring the best of Hollywood, Bollywood and Tollywood together to create history in the entertainment world and will be hosted at the Oracle Arena in San Francisco.

The Indian Academy will now celebrate woman empowerment through nominations and authenticated online voting process. Women achievers will be honored for their achievements as strong Indian-American women.

The Indian American Forum (IAF) will honor Ranju Batra, Chair DIWALI STAMP; Kalpana Patel, CEO Unique Comp Inc; Binita Shah, MD, FAAP Distinguished Professor; and, Vandana Sharma, Regional director of AIR INDIA during the sixth annual Outstanding Women’s Achievement Gala.

This program is part of the National Women’s History Month Celebrating Women of Character, Courage, Commitment and Accomplishments. The annual Gala Banquet will be held on Friday March 24, 2017 at Antuns by Minar, 244 West Old Country Road, Hicksville, NY 11801, (516) 681 3300. The Chief Guest and Keynote Speaker at the Gala will be Hon. Madeline Singas, Nassau County District Attorney.

(New York, NY – January 26, 2017) The New York Asian Women’s Center, a leader in providing innovative and award-winning multilingual and culturally responsive services to survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual violence and later in life abuse, officially changed its name to Womankind at a press conference in Manhattan on Tuesday.

“We changed our name to create an identity that speaks to the power of our unique ways of thinking and doing – changing paradigms, building and healing,” said Larry Lee, executive director of Womankind. “And to show that we are more inclusive and transforming. We changed because we had outgrown our name.”
For 35 years, Womankind has helped Asian women and their children rise above trauma and build a path to healing through counseling, safe and confidential emergency housing, immigration and legal services, economic empowerment programs and so much more.

Representatives from the organization also revealed the trailer of a short film by director Benjamin Ross called “Rise Above,” which premiered during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, last weekend. The virtual reality (VR) film focuses on Brittany, a South Asian youth survivor of sexual violence, and was produced by Oculus’ “VR For Good” initiative.

“It was great to be able to tell my story of abuse through the medium of virtual reality and to be able to share the film through social media,” said Brittany. “I hope the film encourages more people from my generation to report abuse and speak out against violence.” The “VR for Good” initiative will make its rounds through the film festival circuit and will, eventually, be available to view in its entirety on the organization’s recently revamped web site, www.iamwomankind.org.  The organization also announced the opening of a new community office in Brooklyn, which will allow advocates to provide services for double the number of victims from that community. The Brooklyn Center makes for a total of THREE community offices and TWO emergency residences that Womankind manages in New York.

Indie rock artist Queen V ended the press conference on a high note by performing her rendition of “Broken Wings,” which is now available on I-tunes. Proceeds from the sales will benefit Womankind.

More than 300 of New York City’s philanthropists, activists and community members from the corporate, finance and entertainment sectors joined forces to raise close to $400,000 at the 34th Anniversary New York Asian Women’s Center (NYAWC) Gala at the Essex House on Thursday night. Themed “Brightening Our Future Together,” the NYAWC Phoenix Awards honored author and journalist Sheryl WuDunn, the first Asian American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize, for her commitment to the plight of abused women and children around the world (WuDunn’s husband, New York Times journalist and two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Nicholas Kristof, was also at the event to support the cause).

NYAWC is the largest Asian American domestic violence organization in the country, and for the past 34+ years, it has helped women and their children overcome domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual violence and other forms of abuse by empowering them to govern their own lives. More than 1400 women and children are served by NYAWC every year.

“This is the most money our organization has ever raised at a fundraising gala,” said Board Chair Karen Elizaga. “Our community has been tremendously supportive, especially since we have witnessed 50% growth, both in the size of our staff and budget, in the last year and a half.”

The masters of ceremonies at the gala were Nina Pineda of WABC-TV and Ernabel Demillo of CUNY-TV/Asian American Life. Speakers included gala co-chair Yogesh Bahl and executive director Larry Lee. Special guests and performers were auctioneer Charles Antin, comedian Aparna Nancherla and indie rock artist Queen V.

Live and silent auctions engaged the audience and helped raise funds. Some of the highest-bid lots included a wine tour at the Napa vineyard of Yao Ming, former NBA athlete for the Houston Rockets, and two tickets to the Broadway show Hamilton.

Chicago IL: In conjunction with International Women’s Day, BAPS hosted its 10th annual Women’s Conference at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Bartlett, Illinois on March 12th, 2016.  Attracting over 400 participants, this year’s conference explored the theme, “Life in Resonance” and discussed ideas for approaching three major aspects of one’s life: cultural identity, work-life balance, and emotional health.  In today’s world, everyone is constantly striving for balance and self-fulfillment, whether it be at school, work, or at home.  Along with self-help books and online forums as sources of inspiration, open discussions among peers can often have a greater impact in making a work-life balance a more achievable goal.

As women in the 21st Century, we often are faced with the question, “Can we have it all?”  Or how can we handle a work and life balance among various other roles that women have such as a mother, daughter, sister, or professional. In physics, resonance is defined by a phenomenon that follows when a powerful, vibrating system causes another system to oscillate with greater amplitude at a specific frequency.  In life, resonance is defined by innate beliefs and timeless principles which drive an individual’s actions as well as one’s physical being and mental state of mind.  In order to understand how one can skillfully maintain a steady mindset and strong physical health, one must find a harmony within their mind and body that resonates with their surroundings.

Keynote speaker, Dr. Hina Patel, an attending Physician at the Advocate Sherman Hospital and a trustee of Village of South Barrington, delivered an insightful message on finding harmony within our various roles.  She encouraged women to build pride in their identity through confidence in one’s intrinsic beliefs and practices.  She urged women to let go of perfectionism but rather to strive for excellence and create a plan for success and emotional happiness.   Additionally, Pharmacist Komal Patel, born and raised in America, also shared how a dual cultural identity was in fact an asset, rather than a limitation, in today’s diverse, multicultural society.  “We often believe we have to choose one identity over the other, forgetting that we have the opportunity to bring together the best of both worlds.”

Circling the ever-debatable topic of maintaining a work-life balance, Dr. Purvi Parikh explored various practical methods and solutions, including self-introspection, for seeking clarity and focusing on purposeful priorities in our chaotic lives. She also emphasized the importance of living a healthy lifestyle by highlighting wellness and meditation as ways to keep ourselves centered as we juggle a variety of commitments.

Sushma Patel, a medical testing professional at the Alexian Brothers Medical Center, reminded the attendees of the immense power that spirituality holds in our lives through the connection between the mind and the body.  Through spirituality, we develop resilience and the knowledge, that in the end, we leave everything behind in this temporary world.  This understanding allows us to remain grounded and unperturbed through the wavering highs and lows in our life and is quintessential for a content mind and a healthy body.

Spreading this message of science, practicality and spiritualty across the nation, the conference was held in 12 cities with attendees from various personal and professional backgrounds.  Panel discussions and Q&A sessions enabled the speakers to effectively communicate their experiences and thus, enrich the audience with practical applications to bring balance into their lives. The conference attendees were reminded not only of the necessity for maintaining stability, but also of their inherent strengths which allow them to pursue this very goal.

The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a worldwide socio-spiritual organization in Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, is dedicated to community service, peace and harmony.

Motivated by Hindu principles, BAPS strives to care for the world by caring for societies, families and individuals. Through a number of social and spiritual activities, BAPS endeavors to produce better citizens of tomorrow who have a high esteem for their roots – their rich Hindu culture.  Its 3,300 international centers support these activities of character-building. Under the guidance and leadership of His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, BAPS aspires to build a community that is morally, ethically and spiritually pure, and free of addictions.

His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the fifth spiritual successor of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, has inspired millions of people across the world to lead a God-centered, morally pure life. As the present leader of BAPS, Pramukh Swami Maharaj travels from village to village, continent to continent, emphasizing the importance of family harmony, community service and spiritual progress.  His compassion for humanity, universal wisdom and striking simplicity has touched many around the world.

HICKSVILLE, NY: Indian American Forum presented, Thursday March 25, the Fifth Annual Outstanding Women’s Achievements Awards, as part of Women’s History month, in recognition of the contributions made by women in the Tri-State area of New York.

Five women who excelled in their professions and community services received the Outstanding Women’s Achievements Awards. IAF Chairperson Indu Jaiswal spoke about the organization and the awards

Dr. Manjeet Chadda, Professor of Radiation & Oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, for dedication in Medicine and Community Services; Dr Runi Mukherji Ratnam for dedication in Education & Social Services; Sunita Sadhnani for dedication in Business Development and community services; Meera T Gandhi for dedication as Humanitarian and Social promotions; and Jyoti Gupta for her dedication in Music and Cultural promotions

Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano said in a message:”The Indian American Forum has established a distinguished record of excellence, working diligently on behalf of causes and ideals, which uphold the principles of Human decency and brotherhood”.

Citations were presented to honorees and they were praised fortheir efforts and congratulated for their achievements. Among the gathering, several elected dignitaries were present who included MS Judi Bosworth, Supervisor for the Town of North Hempstead,

Councilwoman Hon. Dorothy L Goosby, and Town Clerk from Town of Hempstead Nasrin Ahmed. Among the gathering were seen a former President of IALI Satnam Singh Parhar, HAB Bank VP Rizwan Qureshi, and Dr. Dev Ratnam whose wife Dr. Runi Mukherji Ratnam was one of the five honorees.

Following a milestone year in international development in which world leaders endorsed the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the 60th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) will focus firmly on implementation of the ambitious agreement. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by UN Member States in September 2015 are a universal roadmap for people and planet, addressing the key challenges of the 21st century, such as poverty, inequality and climate change. Gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls is a goal in itself, and recognized as a central means to achieving the SDGs. Success depends on rigorous implementation.

The Commission is the single largest forum for Member States and other stakeholders to commit to new actions for advancement of women and their empowerment. This year’s CSW is the first after the adoption of the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The session thus will build on the momentum garnered in September 2015 when, in conjunction with the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, more than 90 governments answered UN Women’s call for action to “Step It Up for Gender Equality”. World leaders pledged measurable actions to tackle structural barriers and remaining challenges to the achievement of gender equality in their countries. Civil society and businesses leaders complemented these pledges committing to combat stereotypes and shift practices towards fostering greater equality and opportunity.

“This gathering of so many of the key partners in the implementation of Agenda 2030 makes this a crucial opportunity to combine our strengths and align decisively around the central issues for action,” said UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.

The priority theme for the 60th session will be women’s empowerment and its link to sustainable development. Discussions by governments will focus on creating a conducive environment for gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, through actions to ensure enabling laws and policies, solid institutional infrastructures, adequate financial resources, strengthening of participation mechanisms, and investment in sex-disaggregated data, to guide national action.

Research underlines the benefit of women’s empowerment and gender equality for societies everywhere: for instance, if women played an identical role to men in labor markets, as much as USD 28 trillion could be added to global annual GDP by 2025. When women are at the peace tables, their participation increases the probability of a peace agreement lasting at least two years by 20 per cent, and 35 per cent over 15 years. And a child born to a mother who can read is 50 per cent more likely to survive. Yet, global reviews undertaken in 2015, during the 20 years’ commemoration of the historic Beijing Conference, revealed while there has been progress on women’s rights and gender equality, it has not been enough. Today, only one in five parliamentarians is a woman and women continue to earn less, have fewer assets and bear the burden of unpaid work and care.

Violence against women continues to affect one in three women, making it one of the most widespread human rights violations. The Commission will evaluate progress in the implementation of its agreed conclusions of 2013, on ending violence against women and girls, a pandemic that also comes with enormous economic costs to society.

The high-level meeting from 14-24 March underlines the determination of governments and activists to move the needle on women’s rights and gender equality. This year over 1,000 NGOs have pre-registered more than 8,100 of their representatives for the meeting. More than 200 side events will be hosted on the UN premises by Member States and UN entities, many of them in collaboration with civil society, about 150 of them in the first week of CSW alone, alongside 450 parallel events by NGOs, in the vicinity of the UN.

(New York, NY – March 3, 2016) United Nations Ambassadors, CEOs, entrepreneurs and celebrities packed the global launch of Shalini Vadhera’s new multi-disciplinary platform, Power Beauty Living, a holistic approach to powering up your business, beauty and life (for women by women), at the Millennium Hotel in the UN Plaza here last week.

Vadhera, a renowned, award-winning global beauty and lifestyle expert, founder and CEO of Power Beauty Living and best-selling author of Passport To Beauty, unveiled her newest platform earlier in the day at the IMPACT Leadership 21’s 3rd Annual POWER of COLLABORATION Global Summitat the United Nations Headquarters, where she showcased how to live powerfully and beautifully to more than 350 country heads, diplomats, ambassadors and high-level executive women from the UN.

Vadhera was recently appointed to IMPACT Leadership 21’s Global Advisory Council (GAC) as its newest member. A global leadership platform that provides solutions to creating inclusive economies, IMPACT Leadership 21’s GAC is comprised of men and women in diverse leadership backgrounds and influence from multi sectors.

“We are thrilled to add such a dynamic, passionate leader with a strong track record of success and zest for empowering women to the GAC. Shalini’s extensive entrepreneurial experience and industry knowledge is a welcomed addition to our team, especially as we expand our international reach,” saidJanet C. Salazar, CEO and Co-Founder of IMPACT Leadership 21.

To expand her own international reach, Vahera is launching a partnership withZoomin.TV, a global top-10 video producer and YouTube and Facebook multi-channel network, with a strong presence in the U.S. and India. She will be fronting Zoomin’s beauty and women’s empowerment vertical, appealing to many of the channel’s beauty vloggers worldwide.

“Zoomin is very proud to start a long-term partnership with such a highly talented and versatile woman as Shalini,” said Jan Reimens, CEO of Zoomin.TV. “Together, we will build up and out Shalini’s global digital presence through her brands like Passport to Beauty, Beauty starts at 40 and more. Her story needs global reach, and this is where we will focus in the coming years. ”

“I created Power Beauty Living based on my own business experiences as an entrepreneur and the lack of mentorship, community and resources, for women by women, in building their businesses and balancing their lives,” said Vadhera. “I feel a strong desire to create a destination for women to get the insight and tools they need to empower themselves in business, in beauty and in living a blissful balanced life.”

Shalini Vadhera is an award-winning global beauty and lifestyle expert, founder of Power Beauty Living, a social platform for women, and best-selling author of Passport To Beauty. Her global influence with women and young girls stems from her entrepreneurial passion to build companies and create products to empower women. Vadhera’s rise from jewelry and fashion entrepreneur, celebrity make-up artist and best-selling author, to a regular contributor on Dr. Oz, The Today Show, and The View and the founder of a multi-million dollar global cosmetics company is nothing short of remarkable. Vadhera has transformed this platform while using her business acumen to create global beauty, lifestyle and business solutions to empower women around the world. Vadhera was named the #1 Person To Watch by The Economic Times of India, Winner of the Game Changer Of The Decade Award in Beauty and winner of the coveted Oprah Beauty O~Ward.

WASHINGTON: Oracle’s Vinita Paunikar, Affirm’s Trisha Kothari and Intel’s Sumita Basu are among the top women engineers recognized in a Business Insider Feb. 24 piece on the “Most Powerful Women Engineers” of 2016, released in the midst of National Engineer’s Week, Feb. 21 through Feb. 27. The list was generated to give a “shout-out to the female engineers with powerful careers who are leading important technologies at their companies or being pioneers in other ways.”

Vinita Paunikar is a vice president at Oracle responsible for release management of products and services. Paunikar was the highest ranked of the Indian Americans, coming in at No. 14. She created a release-management team that has launched 200 products across more than 20 lines.

She’s also worked on several of Oracle’s mainstay products, including its flagship systems-management solution, Enterprise Manager Cloud Control, now also the core-management platform for Oracle’s cloud services. She is a graduate of Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology in Maharashtra.

Trisha Kothari has made it into the list at the young age of 23. Trisha Kothari is Affirm’s first female engineer at the financial-technology startup cofounded and led by Max Levchin, the former cofounder of PayPal. Affirm turns your smartphone into a credit card of sorts, allowing you to make monthly payments on things you buy from merchants that accept it. Levchin says, “Trisha Kothari is one of the most exciting up-and-coming coders in America.”

“Trisha was instrumental in building the core aspects of a financial platform that powers everything we do,” Affirm’s COO, Huey Lin, said about her. Before joining Affirm, Kothari did several internships at Google and LinkedIn. She also earned a Google Anita Borg scholarship and one from Microsoft and is a member of the high-IQ organization Mensa. She is a graduate of Dhirubhai Ambani International School and the University of Pennsylvania.

Intel’s Sumita Basu, who xcame 26^th on the list, is a strategist and technical assistant to the Intel vice president and general manager. She’s been with Intel since 2002 with increasing responsibilities. In her last gig with the company, she oversaw the equipment installation for Intel factories worldwide — a huge job. For her PhD, she did experiments with the International Space Station.

One of Basu’s most impressive accomplishments is that she invented the world’s first lead-free patterning process, allowing Intel to become the first chip company in the world to limit the use of that toxic substance in its manufacturing processes.

A graduate of Jadavpur University (bachelor’s) and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (doctorate), Basu has also invented the world’s first lead-free patterning process. The invention has allowed Intel to become the first chip company in the world to limit the use of that toxic substance in its manufacturing process, according to the Insider piece.

Women constitute nearly half of the country’s 1.25 billion people and gender equality — whether in politics, economics, education or health — is still a distant dream for most. This fact was driven home again sharply by the recently released United National Development Programme’s Human Development Report (HDR) 2015 which ranks India at a lowly 130 out of 155 countries in the Gender Inequality Index (GII). India trails behind most Asian countries, including lesser developed Bangladesh and Pakistan which rank 111 and 121 respectively, and fares not much ahead of war-ravaged Afghanistan at 152.

The GII reflects gender-based inequalities on three vital parameters: reproductive health, empowerment, and economic activity. India’s record, dismal on all three counts, is especially disquieting when it comes to representation of women in Parliament. Just 12.2 per cent of parliamentary seats in the world’s largest democracy are held by women as against 19.7 in Pakistan, 20 in Bangladesh and 27.6 percent in Afghanistan. Even some of the poorest nations — such as Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Uganda, Mozambique — are way ahead by having over a third to half of their parliament seats occupied by women.

Health remains a niggling worry as well with Indian women’s maternal mortality rate (MMR) being one of the world’s highest. The country witnesses 190 deaths per 100,000 live births as compared to 170 pregnancy-related deaths per 100,000 births in both Bangladesh and Pakistan, states the HDR. Even in terms of the percentage of women receiving secondary education, Bangladesh at 34 per cent outsmarts India at 27 per cent. On labour force participation rate for women, as compared to Bangladesh’s 57 per cent, India is at 27 per cent.

The only parameter where India scores marginally better is the adolescent birth rate or the number of births per 1000 women aged 15 to 19 years. Here, over the last couple of years, India’s GII values have improved marginally from 0.61 to 0.563.

However, activists say India’s low GII scores are hardly surprising given the country’s fierce resistance to change and entrenched patriarchal mindsets. “We’ve been featuring at the bottom of the gender equity pyramid for years. So what’s new?” Dr. Ranjana Kumari, Director, Center for Social Research, a New Delhi-based non-profit, told IPS. “Though the gender agenda has higher visibility in India now, that positive momentum hasn’t really translated into higher investment for women in different sectors due to continued discrimination and ineffectual laws and policies.”

Kumari points out that one of the most pivotal instrument of change — the Women’s Reservation Bill, which seeks to grant 33 per cent of the Parliament’s seats to women — has still not been passed by the upper house (Rajya Sabha) despite being cleared by the lower house (Lok Sabha) in 2010.

“The non-passage of the Bill due to splintered views of different political parties has severely inhibited women’s participation in politics. Until this basic requirement is addressed, Indian women can’t truly be empowered,” observed the activist.

According to some women politicians, bias underlines the selection of women as political candidates. National and regional Indian parties continue to follow the policy of exclusion while allotting seats to women. The common perception is that they lack the ‘win-ability’ factor. Those who manage to win elections have to work doubly hard to prove themselves as compared to the men,” one senior woman politician told IPS on the condition of anonymity.

The current gender picture appears even more disconcerting, say experts, as the principle of gender equality as enshrined in the Indian constitution. The framework of Indian laws, development policies, plans and programs too, are aimed at women’s advancement and equality. India, also a signatory to the Millennium Declaration adopted at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2000, has reaffirmed its commitment towards promoting gender parity.

“These goals are not only desirable in themselves but are critical for achieving UN’s other Millennium Development Goals,” opines Dr. Abha Khatri, former professor of political science at Delhi University. “These include 33 per cent reservation for women in local bodies, state legislatures and Parliament; elimination of all forms of violence against women; skill development for women; making women’s participation in education safe and secure; elimination of sex selection before birth; and universal access to sexual and reproductive health.”

The benefits of India becoming a 2-trillion dollar economy, Asia’s third largest, have also not percolated down to its women, point out economists. On the contrary, Indian women’s workforce participation has plummeted from 35 per cent in 1990 to 27 per cent in 2013. According to a 2012 report on global employment trends by the International Labour Organisation, many Indian women are able to find only marginal work in the informal economy, with low wages and little or no job security.

Ladakh, India – Widespread unemployment here leaves little choice of employment for women. Most have no educational background as schools are few. Credit: Neeta Lal/IPS

Well-qualified young urban women too, admit to having limited job options. Though over 60 per cent of urban females are a part of the informal sector, unemployment among those with graduate degrees and above qualifications continues to be a high 15.7 per cent, states the report.

Even educated urban women are unable to find opportunities that fit their profiles. Close to 20 per cent of urban females work as domestic help, cleaners, vendors, hawkers and salespeople. Nearly 43 per cent of urban women were self-employed and the same proportion of women had regular wage salaried jobs, according to the National Sample Survey Organisation 2011. Nearly 46 per cent of urban women with regular wages have no social security or employment benefits, while 58 per cent have no written contract for their jobs.

The example of Archana Desai, 35, is illustrative. New Delhi-based Desai had to give up her job at a global retail chain when it started downsizing due to budget cuts. Despite an MBA degree, Desai is currently employed as a part-time tutor at a coaching institute earning a fraction of her previous salary. “Though I’m technically qualified to hold a manager’s position, I’m stuck with something I don’t have any passion for. Why can’t the government provide jobs for women like us?”

Addressing women’s unemployment or underemployment issues can be deeply transformative for the country’s economy, says a McKinsey Global Institute report, “The Power of Parity: Advancing Women’s Equality in India”. The report states that improving gender parity at the workplace can help India add a whopping 2.9 trillion dollars to its GDP in 2025.

If this isn’t incentive enough, what is question activists. Besides, Indian women constitute almost 30 per cent of the total workforce in the country. Stricter policy and legislative measures need to be adopted as there is statutory recognition of the principle of equal job opportunities and equal pay under the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976.

To be fair, some measures have been taken by the Center to address the gender parity skew. The government has announced a 33 per cent reservation for women in police forces of union territories, including Delhi, for posts from constables to sub-inspectors to make the police more gender-sensitive. Another scheme — ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ (Save the Daughter, Educate Her) — focuses on improving the life of the girl child in 100 districts with low child sex ratio (CSR), meaning many fewer girls than boys. The initiative is especially critical for a country like India which hosts one of the world’s lowest CSRs. Daman and Diu records a CSR of 618 girls per 1,000 boys.

“The key to achieving gender parity is resources. We need gender-responsive budgeting and money to be allocated and spent effectively on achieving these goals,” elaborates Kumari. Any breakthrough on gender equality also requires changes in the mindsets of all stakeholders –including legislators, administrators as well as the public — so that every social, economic and political issue can be made gender-sensitive, sums up the activist.

When Smriti Nagpal passed out of college with a degree in business, she started a social enterprise for hearing impaired artists. Just three years later, her work matters enough for her to count among BBC’s ‘inspirational women for 2015’. Dwarka-based Nagpal is in the company of Asha Bhosle and Sania Mirza on the global list of 100, although she’s been picked in the ’30 Under 30′ category for young entrepreneurs.

It all began with her passion for sign language. “My two older siblings are hearing impaired so I grew up in an environment where I had to use sign language, and by the age of 16 I had started working as a sign language interpreter with National Association of the Deaf,” said Nagpal, sitting in her office that’s decorated with sketches by deaf artists.

In college, she did sign language news bulletins on Doordarshan. She says she didn’t want to take up a job, and worked with her father after graduating. At a Diwali mela, a deaf artist who had seen her interpreting somewhere requested her to help him find a job. He had a master’s in fine arts and felt out of place making handmade products for an NGO.