Panel discussion at UN highlights India’s efforts towards ‘techquity’ for women

India’s UN envoy, Ruchira Kamboj, has highlighted India’s efforts to empower women through digitalization during a panel discussion at the United Nations Headquarters. Kamboj stated that India is fully committed to empowering women at all levels and that it is the best time to be a woman in India today. The panel discussion, organized by the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in partnership with UN Women India, focused on leveraging public-private commitment for women’s greater access to technology and education.

Kamboj emphasized the transformative power of technology in providing impetus to women’s empowerment and sustainable development. She cited the Digital India program and the Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) trinity as initiatives that have shown the capacity of technology to provide impetus to women’s empowerment and sustainable development. These initiatives have enabled access for women to finance, credit, technology, and employment and have provided immediate assistance to women in distress, prevented violence against women, and promoted women’s full and equal participation in every sphere of society. During the pandemic, these initiatives facilitated direct benefit transfer to nearly 200 million women.

Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of UN Women, Anita Bhatia, highlighted the importance of digitalization in closing the gender digital divide. She pointed out that globally, men are 20% more likely to be online than women, and in low-income countries, this percentage is as high as 52. Bhatia emphasized the need to leverage the power, creativity, and innovation of women to grow economies quickly in a post-pandemic world constrained by fiscal space.

The panel discussion also emphasized the need for “techquity” to ensure that every woman is digitally connected and digitally savvy. Dr. Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals, emphasized the importance of promoting equal access to digital technology and opportunities for women. The panel discussion was moderated by Country Representative, UN Women India, Susan Ferguson, and included Melissa Selcher, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at LinkedIn, and Nina Nair, Senior Vice President & Head of Human Resources Development for India & Americas.

Overall, the panel discussion highlighted India’s commitment to empowering women through digitalization and leveraging technology for sustainable development. It also emphasized the need to address the gender digital divide and promote “techquity” to ensure that women have equal access to digital technology and the opportunities it provides.

Staff Reporter