Kerala to host India's first global conference on gender equality

Dr Mallika Sarabhai, renowned dancer and activist; Naila Kabeer, London School of Economics professor on gender studies; Flavia Agnes, lawyer and women rights' activist and Pat Mitchell, Founder & CEO of POW! Strategies are expected to attend the event.

By T.K. Devasia

Published: Tue 27 Oct 2015, 12:00 AM

Last updated: Tue 27 Oct 2015, 11:35 AM

Trivandrum: Kerala that boasts of high human development and gender development index is all set to host the country's first-ever global conference on gender equality from November 12 to 14.
The three-day International Conference on Gender Equality (ICGE -I) being organized by the Gender Park, an institution under the state department of Social Justice, in partnership with UN Women here will witness the participation of a host of thought leaders, social activists, research scholars and policymakers from the country and around the world. The high profile event is likely to be attended by President Pranab Mukherjee and a few cabinet ministers. Other key dignitaries and speakers who are expected to attend include Dr Mallika Sarabhai, renowned dancer and activist; Naila Kabeer, London School of Economics professor on gender studies; Flavia Agnes, lawyer and women rights' activist and Pat Mitchell, Founder & CEO of POW! Strategies.
Gender, Governance and Inclusion" is the core theme of the conference that will discuss issues ranging from citizenship, globalisation, work, governance, health, education, disability and the role of media, according to Gender Park officials.
Dr Rebecca Reichmann Tavares, Representative, UN Women's Office for India, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka, has expressed the hope that the conference may spur renewed political commitment and re-energise action on gender equality".
According to recent data from the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), about 74.7 of rural women and 84.5 urban women are not part of the labor force as of 2011-12, despite a significant increase in the number of girls/women attending educational institutions since 2000. The study also indicated that higher rates of literacy and health did not necessarily translate into growth of paid employment or upward occupational mobility for women as seen in the case of states like Goa, Kerala and Mizoram.