There is no time to wait- either for gender equality or for dealing with the climate crisis, stated Ms.Susan Ferguson, UN Women India Representative at an Interaction Session organised by the Dept-cum-Centre for Women’s Studies and Development, Panjab University Chandigarh. The session began with a short video by the Research Scholars of the Department speaking about the kind of researches which they are engaged in. Speaking about the work of UN Women, she stated that its focus is on the most marginalised, including refugees, tribal women and manual scavengers. Women’s economic empowerment is the pillar of their work in the course of which they try to train women to open their own businesses. The need of the hour in a world full of divisiveness is the tradition of ‘Ubuntu’ practised in Papua New Guinea particularly in the context of various atrocities committed on blacks. This is a concept of forgiveness which would be extremely useful in the current world. UN Women, she said is wanting for funds, first funds are low and secondly these are diverted because of crisis such as the Ukraine crisis. The agency has to seek funds, but people are willing to contribute for children, but not women, she concluded.
This was followed by a vibrant discussion with the participants who sought to know about the role of UN Women in India and what it is actually doing for the most vulnerable women. The session was attended by faculty, research scholars and students from the various department of the University.
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