India, S Africa, Brazil to sign M.o.U. in women`s development

New Delhi, Oct 13 (PTI) India, Brazil and South Africa are set to sign an M.o.U. focussing on core areas of women's movement like domestic violence, micro-finance and economic empowerment.

The M.o.U., draft for which was finalised this morning, has been sent to the Legal and Treaties Division of the Ministry of External Affairs for vetting, Women and Child Development Minister Renuka Chowdhary told PTI Monday on the sidelines of the third I.B.S.A. summit here.

"The draft M.o.U. was proposed by South Africa. Initially Brazil had some objections, but now all issues have been sorted out," she said, adding the document would be signed as soon as approvals of the External Affairs Ministry and the Cabinet are taken.

The M.o.U. would focus on inclusive macro-economic policy
and research, gender budgeting, micro-finance, violence
against women, cooperative societies in women and cooperation
at multilateral forums.

The I.B.S.A. women's working group was launched in
October 2007 at the second I.B.S.A. summit in South Africa to
facilitate joint efforts and collaboration in areas of women's
development.

The initiative forms part of and builds on the emergence
and consolidation of I.B.S.A. and collaboration at regional
and global levels for promoting good governance and wishing to
strengthen South-South cooperation, Chowdhary said addressing
the working group.