Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Smt. Savitri Thakur, addressed an event titled “Women-Led Development and South-South Cooperation – Success Stories from the IBSA Fund”, during the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW-70) at the United Nations Headquarters on 12 March 2026.
The event brought together senior ministers and representatives from several countries and international organizations. Participants included H.E. Eutália Barbosa Rodrigues Naves, Vice-Minister for Women, Brazil; H.E. Sindisiwe Chikunga, Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, South Africa; Mr. Alexander De Croo, Administrator, UNDP; H.E. Fatou Kinteh, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Welfare, Gambia; H.E. Selina Kuruleca, Acting Permanent Secretary for Women, Children and Social Protection, Fiji; Ambassador Lewis G. Brown II, Permanent Representative of Liberia to the United Nations; and Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, Ambassador P. Harish.
Addressing the gathering, the Minister highlighted how Global South–led multilateral cooperation is contributing to women’s empowerment and sustainable development across countries. She noted that the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Fund, a joint initiative of the Governments of India, Brazil and South Africa established in 2004, has supported over 50 development assistance projects in nearly 40 countries, demonstrating the strength of South-South cooperation in addressing development challenges.
The Minister underscored that the IBSA Fund places a strong emphasis on projects that enhance women’s agency and leadership, reflecting India’s broader vision of women-led development. She stated that India recognizes the multifaceted role of women in society and has consistently prioritized their holistic development through national initiatives as well as through international cooperation programmes.
Highlighting specific initiatives supported under the IBSA framework, the Minister referred to the project titled “Women Legislators Promoting Voice, Leadership and Gender Responsive Governance for Sustainable Development” being implemented in Liberia.
The project aims to strengthen the Women Legislative Caucus by enhancing its role in promoting gender equality through legislative and oversight processes. It includes tailored capacity-building programmes designed to strengthen professional knowledge and facilitate learning from successful women’s caucus experiences in other countries.
The project also focuses on eliminating gender-discriminatory laws, raising public awareness about proposed legal reforms, and building coalitions among women and men to support gender-responsive governance, thereby strengthening democratic institutions and inclusive policy-making.
The Minister also highlighted initiatives aimed at economic empowerment of women, which contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 5. In this regard, she referred to a proposed floriculture project in Jordan, designed to strengthen women’s economic participation while promoting environmentally sustainable practices.
The project aims to establish a reverse osmosis unit to reuse treated wastewater from the Tafileh plant, enabling floriculture production in 60 greenhouses and a five-hectare nursery. It is expected to support the creation of 50 women-led micro-enterprises while providing training to 150 women in floriculture and business skills, thereby promoting climate-smart and sustainable entrepreneurship among women.
Emphasizing India’s domestic commitment to women-led development, the Minister highlighted that the Government of India has introduced several initiatives to strengthen women’s participation in education, skills, digital empowerment and entrepreneurship, along with sustained policy support through gender budgeting.
She noted that the Union Budget 2025-26 has allocated approximately USD 60 billion (₹5.01 lakh crore) towards gender budgeting, reflecting an increase of over 8 percent from the previous year, underscoring the Government’s continued focus on advancing gender equality and inclusive growth.
Concluding her remarks, the Minister stated that the IBSA Fund represents a tangible example of Global South cooperation addressing development priorities collectively. She reaffirmed India’s commitment to strengthening such partnerships and expressed confidence that many more impactful initiatives will be implemented in the future to advance women’s empowerment and sustainable development globally.
On the sidelines of CSW-70, the Minister also held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Sindisiwe Chikunga, Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities of South Africa. During the meeting, the two sides discussed cooperation under the India-Brazil-South Africa Dialogue Forum, including the IBSA Fund for Poverty and Hunger Alleviation.
They also exchanged views on collaboration in multilateral platforms such as the G20 and BRICS, particularly in the context of digital public infrastructure and the role of women working groups in upcoming G20 engagements. The discussion also included an exchange of perspectives on initiatives and best practices undertaken by India in the areas of women and child development.