CWEGE Hosts Academic Exchange Workshop on Women’s Empowerment Under UNESCO Chair Initiative

As part of the academic exchange initiatives under the UNESCO Chair on Gender Equality, CWEGE organized a collaborative workshop bringing together researchers and practitioners to explore innovative approaches for understanding and addressing women’s vulnerabilities through systems thinking and community-centered interventions.

Since 2018, the Centre for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality (CWEGE) at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has been developing the AWESOME Framework (Accelerating Women’s Empowerment through System-Oriented Model Expansion), a holistic and systems-based approach designed to map and address the multidimensional vulnerabilities experienced by women and girls.

Key Dimensions of the AWESOME Framework

• Economic Vitality
• Health and Sanitation
• Environmental Sustainability
• Education and Skill Development
• Society, Culture and Politics
• Safety and Security
• Mental Space, including mindset, confidence and agency

The framework places particular emphasis on the Mental Space domain, recognizing that empowerment extends beyond material resources and opportunities. By strengthening confidence, awareness, access, agency and opportunity, the framework seeks to create sustainable pathways toward gender equality and social transformation.

On 19 April 2026, CWEGE hosted an academic exchange workshop in collaboration with Dr. Seema Mehra Parihar, Professor at Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi. The event served as a platform for interdisciplinary dialogue and knowledge sharing among researchers, faculty members and practitioners working in the field of women’s empowerment.

Participants explored emerging approaches to understanding women’s vulnerabilities through systems-based frameworks, geospatial methodologies and data-driven analysis. The discussions highlighted the importance of integrating research, technology and community engagement to better understand complex social challenges affecting women and girls.

The workshop also showcased grassroots initiatives and field experiences from rural communities across India and Africa, emphasizing how local knowledge and participatory approaches can contribute to sustainable development outcomes. Participants exchanged perspectives on creating inclusive ecosystems that enhance women’s access to resources, opportunities and decision-making processes.

Through such collaborations, CWEGE continues to advance interdisciplinary research, academic exchange and evidence-based solutions that support gender equality and women’s empowerment at local, national and global levels.