Fifth IBSA Women’s Forum Meet Starts In New Delhi

New Delhi, May 15, IRNA – Fifth IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) Women’s Forum Meeting started in New Delhi on Tuesday. The three-day meet inaugurated by the Minister for Women and Child Development Ms. Krishna Tirath. The Ministry for Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities, Republic of South Africa and the Special Secretariat for Policies on Women, Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil, civil society representatives, academics and young people will participate in the deliberations over various issues of women’s empowerment and gender equality. The official level meeting will be on 15th May. The outcome of two days of discussion and deliberations will pave the way for the declaration at the Ministerial meet of the Forum, to be held on 16th May. An initiative launched under the People-to-People’s Forum by the Heads of the IBSA States during the 2nd IBSA Summit in South Africa 2007, the Women’s Forum is a unique platform of co-operation bringing together the countries of India, Brazil and South Africa with the objective of promoting gender equality and empowerment. The Forum facilitates the process of people to people consultation and sharing of best practices in order to strengthen partnerships among the three countries. During the three-day consultations, the Forum will discuss key issues that contribute towards the transformation of women’s lives; by highlighting initiatives around preventing violence against women and girls; addressing the needs of vulnerable and marginalized women and accelerating gender equality; political partnership and leadership; empowering the rural and marginalized women; strengthening social protection systems within the developmental framework; and gender responsive budgeting. The Forum will carry forth its vision to ensure improving the status and condition of women by addressing structural and institutional barriers as well as strengthening gender mainstreaming./end