Statement by India at Annual high-level mainstreaming panel 30th anniversary of Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
Delivered by Ms. Anupama Singh, First Secretary, PMI Geneva
Date: 24 February 2025
Mr. President
The discussion today is very pertinent to our collective efforts towards advancing gender equality.
- In India, we have made a paradigm shift in our approach from women’s development to women-led development. Women are not passive beneficiaries of the development process but active architects of our development trajectory and equal partners in India’s growth story.
- India celebrates its two decades of gender budgeting this month. With a focus on key areas like employment, education, health and well-being, safety and security of women, our national budget this year has earmarked – USD 52 billion towards gender-budgeting.
- Under one of the largest financial inclusion programmes in the world, more than 280 million bank accounts have been opened for women in the last decade. India's Self-Help Group movement successfully demonstrates community-led development, with millions of women accessing credit to pursue and lead remunerative initiatives.
- India's passage of the landmark Women's Reservation Bill, which reserves 33% of seats in the national and state legislatures for women, reflects our commitment to enhancing women's political representation.
Mr. President
- We firmly believe that only when women rise, do societies prosper, and the progress of humanity is incomplete without the empowerment of women. Advancing women-led development, is India’s way of ensuring a prosperous and inclusive future for all.
Thank you.
