Anu Dhull, PhD Candidate at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. Photo: Courtesy of Navaneetha P

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UN Women India

Advancing gender equality and empowering women across India

18-year-old high schoolers Rani Kumari, Usha Kumari, Aparna Kumari, Puja Kumari, Dipika Kumari, and Priti Kumari. They are seen alongside their solar-powered device, which addresses the problem of erratic electrical supply in Bokaro, Jharkhand. Having undergone extensive vocational training in Solar Panel Installation technology and Electrical Repairing skills, they put their manufacturing abilities to use by creating this device out of electrical waste materials for the Disaster Management Unit. Their innovation challenges gender norms and inspires young girls to dream and pursue financial independence. Photo: UN Women/Ruhani Kaur

Dr. Saswati Das in a meeting with her medical staff at ABVIMS, Delhi. She works at the intersection of molecular medicine, laboratory leadership, artificial intelligence for health and space medicine. Additionally, Saswati has developed a mobile application for respiratory rehabilitation of COVID-19 patients. Photo: UN Women/Chinky Shukla

Soumi Das Vineeta Varma (center) with the women workers of the SHG group in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Battling the loss of her 9-day son and husband within the same month, Vineeta decided to carry forward her husband’s work in politics. As the village Pradhan (chief), she works towards improving the lives of marginalized women to help them pursue financial independence. Photo: UN Women/Soumi Das

About UN Women India

UN Women India is committed to advancing gender equality and women's empowerment across the country, with a strategic presence in New Delhi and 14 states. Aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, UN Women ensures that women and girls in India achieve their full potential in a safe and equal environment.

In partnership with the Government of India, UN agencies, civil society, and the private sector, UN Women drives initiatives that foster sustainable growth, improve livelihood opportunities, and ensure equitable participation in all spheres of society.

Our key focus areas include economic empowerment through skill development, entrepreneurship, and access to decent work, as well as advocating for gender-responsive policies and programs. During India's G20 Presidency in 2023, UN Women provided valued technical support. Moving forward with the Strategic vision for 2023-2027, UN Women is dedicated to promoting gender-responsive governance, reducing gender-based violence, and supporting the empowerment of women and girls across India.

Join UN Women India in celebrating and supporting gender equality.

Our Impact in Numbers

390
PRIVATE SECTOR COMPANIES

were committed to the Women’s Empowerment Principles

10 M
PEOPLE REACHED

the #YOUDONTSEEME, a joint campaign between UN Women and Unstereotype Alliance

12,825
WOMEN TEA WORKERS

reached through the Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces program and were educated on health and safety issues

83,129
WOMEN REACHED

the Second Chance Education and Vocational Learning Programme between 2018 and 2023

10,000+
STAFF WERE TRAINED

by One Stop Crisis Centres to respond effectively to violence against women as first responders

As we move forward with our Strategic Note for 2023-2027, UN Women India remains committed to promoting gender-responsive governance, reducing gender-based violence, and supporting the empowerment of women and girls across the country. Join us as we work towards a society where gender equality is supported and celebrated.

Economic Empowerment

UN Women India is dedicated to advancing gender equality and women's economic empowerment through comprehensive programs spanning education, skilling, private sector alliances, and initiatives in the green and care economies. By addressing barriers to women's participation in the workforce and promoting inclusive growth, UN Women aims to unlock India's economic potential while ensuring that no one is left behind. With a strong focus on policy advocacy, job creation, and behavior change campaigns, UN Women India is poised to make a transformative impact on the lives of women and girls across the country.

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Photograph of a Self-Help Group (SHG) named ‘Bachat Gat’ in Maharashtra Packaging and Selling Home-Made Spices. The SHG has received support from UN Women, which has helped them develop essential entrepreneurship skills and establish connections to the marketplace.

Inclusive Governance

Under the umbrella of inclusive governance, UN Women India collaborates with the Ministry of Women and Child Development, integrating Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) into fiscal planning across India, aiming for equitable resource distribution. Through capacity building and policy advisement, UN Women facilitates the adoption of gender action plans in over 12 states, enhancing gender-responsive governance at both state and local levels. With a commitment to policy reform, advocacy, and interagency coordination, UN Women ensures that gender equality is a central pillar of inclusive governance, fostering young feminist leadership and promoting gender perspectives in peacekeeping operations.

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Ending Violence Against Women

UN Women's efforts in India address the urgent issue of gender-based violence through comprehensive preventive strategies, enhanced response mechanisms, and impactful policy advocacy. With a focus on safety in workplaces and public spaces, capacity building for frontline responders, and policy interventions at the state level, UN Women aims to create a supportive environment for survivors and foster gender equality. Through strategic partnerships and innovative initiatives, UN Women is making significant strides in combating gender-based violence and promoting the rights and empowerment of women and girls across various Indian states.

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Featured programmes and activities

Feminist Youth Leadership Programme (FYLP)

The Generation Equality Forum convened by UN Women in 2021, kickstarted a five-year process of intergenerational, multi-stakeholder convergence to achieve irreversible gender equality. Through this project, Gender at Work India undertook the task of advancing the GEF mandate by creating a contextual programme around building feminist youth leadership in India.

The objective is to bring together people, knowledge, and pedagogy in a way that would lead to secondary and tertiary impacts and promote just, equitable, and intersectional feminist agendas across civil society.

FYLP follows a ground-up approach to understanding, operationalising, and building resources for feminist youth leadership in India, while simultaneously unpacking the context in which these are embedded.

Some of the knowledge products developed:

Video: Feminist Youth Leadership Programme in India | Phase 1 [Full Episode]

Workbook — Feminist Youth Leadership Programme

Resource Toolkit — Feminist Youth Leadership Programme

Needs Assessment — Feminist Youth Leadership Programme

More of the knowledge product by FYLP

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Featured publication

THE GENDER PULSE | UN Women India's newsletter | April-May 2024 ... More

More publications

Featured video

Hum: When Women Lead

#WhenWomenLead campaign opens the dialogue on the challenges and enablers for women's leadership and calls for investing in women

Be. Learn. Earn

Second Chance Education, Women take a lead, Be. Learn. Earn

UN Women's Second Chance Education and Vocational Learning Programme enables women to re-enter formal education, access vocational training, learn entrepreneurial skills, and connect them to employment and business opportunities. The programme has a tailored learn-to-earn as well as a learn-to-learn approach and is being implemented in 12 districts across 4 states of India – Bihar, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Rajasthan, covering 200 villages.

Explainers

UN Women’s Second Chance Education Programme

Many women are re-entering formal education, and subsequently the workforce, thanks to a unique initiative by UN Women India ...