As India announced the setting up an 'Alliance for Global Good - gender equity and equality" on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum 2024 in Davos, Smriti Irani, Union Minister of Women and Child Development, said the country is propelled towards a greater future where no one will be left behind, adding that the alliance is focused on gender, health, education and enterprise.
“Today, India will lead not only in the growth story but in the inclusive growth story,” she said at the announcement of the alliance, which will take forward the commitments of G20 leaders to champion the cause of women-led development.
Union Minister Irani thanked industry partners who agreed to be associated with the initiative over one phone call. It is an indication of the industry’s belief in India, she said.
Her remark comes as the alliance has garnered support from global corporate houses like Mastercard, Uber, and Microsoft to domestic industry leaders like Tata, TVS, Godrej, and Serum Institute of India. The initiative has also roped in over 10,000 partners from the industry through the Indian industry body Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of World Economic Forum Geneva, also highlighted that the 'Alliance for Global Good’ comes at a time when there needs to be an emphasis on equality and inclusion.
“When we discussed it with Minister Irani this afternoon, I was so enthusiastic to hear about the new initiative. I immediately said this forum is ready, not only to sponsor it or to endorse it, but to be a strong partner of it.”
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The alliance is the brainchild of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and efforts to stitch the alliance together were spearheaded by Smriti Irani. The breakthrough came on the sidelines of the WEF at Davos.
President of Swiss India Chamber of Commerce (SICC) Satish Rao was also present at the alliance announcement and noted that there are more than 330 Swiss companies in India and therefore he was more than happy to leverage this ecosystem.
It must be noted that the alliance will also be supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and has onboarded the World Economic Forum as the 'Network Partner' and Invest India as the 'Institutional Partner'.
(Edited by : Amrita)
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