The conference provided an enriching experience while strictly following the State’s COVID protocols
The first day of the International Conference of Gender Equality (ICGE-II), hosted by The Gender Park in association with UN Women, witnessed globally renowned experts discuss and deliberate upon the most relevant issues concerning gender equality and sustainable development.
Participants, with a wider base joining virtually from across the globe, came together to find practical solutions on pressing issues related to Gender and Sustainable Development. The 2nd edition of The International Conference on Gender Equality (ICGE-II) is centered around Gender in Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Social Business: The Mediating Role of Empowerment. One of the key objectives of the conference is to better understand how social change and profit making can co-exist and the role of gender empowerment in achieving the same.
The conference was inaugurated on 11th Feb by Smt. KK Shailaja Teacher, Hon. Minister of Health, Social Justice and Women and Child Development of the Government of Kerala.
“While Kerala has the highest Human Development Index in the country, there is still a lot to be achieved, particularly in terms of the economic empowerment of women. By investing and supporting women-led social enterprises, we can move towards developing a more sustainable economy. Innovation-driven social businesses will not just support society but also the economically and socially vulnerable groups. In India, there are currently no strategic measures in place to foster social entrepreneurship. We are happy to see so many eminent personalities participating in the conference and I feel after this conference we should be able to develop a gender-inclusive policy framework for sustainable entrepreneurship and social business for India and the rest of the world.”, said Smt. KK Shailaja Teacher.
The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Jayati Ghosh, a renowned development economist. This was followed by enriching discussions on how governments can partner with sustainable entrepreneurs and social businesses to bring about the necessary change.
“One of the main objectives of the conference is to understand the potential of social businesses to transform society by creating jobs, delivering services to the under-served and contributing to the achievement of Social Development Goals. However, we need to equally recognize the challenges if social businesses are to be effective and sustainable. Through this conference, The Gender Park aims to throw light on the various alternatives available to resolve existing challenges of social businesses to inclusive, sustainable development.”, said Mr. PT Mohammed Sunish, CEO, The Gender Park.
The first day of the conference also saw successful social entrepreneurs, activists and academicians share their knowledge on good practices for creating a conducive ecosystem.
The three-day conference is being held abiding by the COVID-19 safety protocol at Gender Park’s campus in Kozhikode will conclude on 13th February 2021.
The Second day of the ICGE-II 12th Feb will have physical presence of eminent speakers including Akkai Padmashali (Transgender Rights Activist Cofounder, Ondede), Mariam Dhawale(General Secretary, All India Democratic Women’s Association), Mallika Sarabhai (Director, Darpana Academy of performing Arts), Chintha Jerome (Chairperson, Kerala State Youth Commission), PK Sreemathi Teacher (Former Member of Parliament), Prof. N Manimekalai (Dept of Women’s Studies Bharatidasan University Tiruchirapalli)