MICA and UN Women sign MOU to work together to increase gender equality and women’s empowermentMENT
Under the MoU, signed on Women’s Day, students of MICA across all programs
will be roped in to work on the collaboration
BILKULONLINE
Ahmedabad, March 21: In a significant development, MICA’s Centre for Development Management & Communication (CDMC) and UN Women India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to undertake joint research and galvanise strategic communication on ending violence against women.
According to the agreement, signed on International Women’s Day, March 8th 2023, MICA and UN Women India will collaborate on creating a university-led campaign supporting the 16 Days of Activism on Ending Violence Against Women and research on increasing women’s participation in socio- economic life.
MICA and UN Women India will jointly develop a module on gender equality and empowerment for school children contextualised through storybooks in regional languages and illustrative designs.
“The 16 Days of Activism campaign has grown exponentially over the past years, clearly showing the aspiration to end violence against women. We are delighted to have new energy and support from young students in MICA in raising awareness and bringing about behavioural changes between women and men,” said Susan Ferguson, Country Representative for UN Women India.
“We are excited to work with UN Women, an entity of the United Nations working for gender equality and women’s empowerment. This MoU will provide the impetus for focused research on women-related issues and address prevailing challenges,” said Dr Shailendra Raj Mehta, President & Director, MICA Ahmedabad.
Dr Githa Heggde, Dean, MICA Ahmedabad, said, “To accelerate the government’s efforts to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment, MICA and UN Women, through the partnership, will collaborate on research and communication strategies to further the mandate of gender, equality, and empowerment. We will also develop communication campaigns and content on gender equality and ending violence against women.”
16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual global campaign that begins on 25 November every year, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs through International Human Rights Day on 10 December.
Violence against women and girls remains one of the most pervasive human rights violations worldwide. Through this partnership, the aim is to empower the voices of survivors to reduce and prevent violence against women and girls and protect women’s rights.
UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. It works with governments and civil society to design laws, policies, programmes and services needed to ensure that the standards are effectively implemented and truly benefit women and girls worldwide.
(Photo Caption: MICA Dean Dr.Githa Heggde with CDMC Co-chair Prof.Ruchi Tewari)
