India launches Global Alliance for women-led development

India on Friday announced the launch of an “Alliance for Global Good, Gender Equity and Equality” at the just-concluded annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.

India’s Ministry of Women and Child Development, the nodal Ministry for this Global Alliance, said, “The idea of this initiative emerged from the concluding Declaration of the Group of Twenty (G20) meeting in September and India’s abiding commitment to the cause of women-led development.”

“The primary objective of this new Alliance is to bring together global best practices, knowledge sharing and investments in the identified areas of women’s health, education, and enterprise,” the Ministry said in a launch announcement.

“The Alliance will take forward the commitments of G20 for the benefit of the larger global community as a follow-up to the activities of its Engagement Group and initiatives under the G20 framework, which includes the Business 20, Women 20 and G20 EMPOWER,” the announcement explained.

Before the launch, India’s Minister of Women and Child Development and Minority Affairs, Smriti Zubin Irani, met Bahrain’s Minister for Sustainable Development, Noor bint Ali Alkhulaif, among other leaders attending the WEF. Irani is leading the Indian delegation to this year’s WEF.

The Alliance has gained support from major global conglomerates, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the WEF, which will be its “Network Partner”. The Alliance’s “Institutional Partner” will be Invest India, the National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency of the Indian government.