Main achievements of the UNESCO Chair
Publications and Reports
We have collaborated closely with UNESCO New Delhi and UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, resulting in the publication of two books: “Transforming Mentalities: Gender Equality and Masculinities in India” (2019) and “Braided River: The Universe of Indian Women in Science” (2020). We also took part in the first-ever discussions on Gender and AI, participating in a groundbreaking workshop organized by UNESCO in Paris in 2019, which led to the report “Women Empowerment and Artificial Intelligence.”
Pioneering Conferences and International Summits
In 2018, we organized a three-day International Colloquium on Women’s Empowerment, Vulnerability Mapping, and Community-led Sanitation. This event brought together global experts but also women from 21 rural villages in India who had become “Champions of Change” through our empowerment programs. In 2021, we hosted a Global Summit of Gender-related UNESCO Chairs, gathering 300 participants from 46 countries, including 19 UNESCO Chairs who signed a declaration. In 2022, the International Conference on Systems Thinking & Women’s Empowerment (AWESOME Conference) gathered academics, policymakers, and practitioners who shared their expertise on multidisciplinary and holistic approaches to women’s empowerment. Looking ahead, we are organizing the first International Conference on Gender and Technology in collaboration with UNESCO and IEEE on January 16-19, 2025. This flagship event will explore emerging paradigms, opportunities, and vulnerabilities at the intersection of gender and technology, including AI, Robotics, AR/VR, Blockchain, and neuroscience, featuring paper presentations, keynote speakers, and a GenAI x Gender Tech hackathon, to explore how technology can be used to address critical issues faced by women worldwide.
Leading the G20’s Civil20 Gender Equality Working Group
In 2023, we coordinated the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Working Group of Civil20, the official engagement group of the G20 focusing on civil society. We involved several UNESCO Chairs and strengthened South-South collaboration by organizing events with other Chairs in Africa. Over six months, we organized 60 policy dialogues with civil society organizations and 1,230 outreach activities in India, Europe, the US, Africa, and South-Korea, engaging more than 604,500 participants from 73 countries. This effort resulted in the collection of over 1,000 policy recommendations and 64 best practices from NGOs and other institutions.
Mass Outreach Campaigns
In 2023, we organized mass outreach campaigns on women’s empowerment and gender equality (“One Million Lights Campaign” and “Gender Equality Pledge”) with over 1.2 million people participating worlwide, including 2,000 schools in Delhi and 4,000 schools in Uttar Pradesh. The same year, we launched UNESCO’s campaign on Menstrual Health and Hygiene Management Campaign in multiple states of India (“Spotlight Red”).
Cutting-Edge Research, Programs and Tools
Our Chair offers pivotal gender-related programs within Amrita’s School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, spanning from Bachelor’s to Ph.D. levels. We publish in top-ranked journals, focusing on innovative topics such as our data-driven systems-thinking approach to mapping women’s vulnerabilities. The “AWESOME” framework (Advancing Women’s Empowerment through Systems Oriented Model Expansion) that we developed integrates a holistic perspective with advanced data collection tools and AI technologies. Additionally, we pioneer data and technology solutions (such as apps and field operation trackers) aimed at tackling systemic and structural inequalities faced by women.
On the Ground
Our Chair’s commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals 4 (Education) and 5 (Gender Equality) is realized through impactful field projects in rural India and Africa. These initiatives aim to empower women, girls, and transgender individuals by providing vocational and life skills training. Over the years, we have positively impacted more than 239,000 beneficiaries across 23 states in India, and 3 countries in Africa. We collaborate closely with local communities to address all areas of vulnerabilities, including education, economic and livelihoods opportunities, health, societal norms and culture, environmental sustainability, and safety and security. Our curriculum emphasize technology-driven approaches and focuses on areas like sustainable fashion, the blue and green economy (such as seaweed cultivation, beekeeping, agroecology), and women in non-traditional trades (such as plumbing or two-wheeler repair).
Engaging Men and Boys for Gender Equality
We actively engage men and boys for gender equality and women’s empowerment. Over the past two years, we have provided mental health and gender-related training to over 27,000 police personnel, including the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Srinagar Sector, Kashmir, CRPF Southern Sector Hyderabad, Telangana, and the Telangana State Special Police (TSSP). This training will soon extend to 17 CRPF training centers in 11 states of India.
Recognitions
Our initiatives received recognition from UN Agencies and from the Government of India. In 2017, the Hon. President of India, Sri Ram Nath Kovind, personally gave Open Free Defecation Village Certificates to women we had trained in plumbing and toilet building. In 2023, the Hon. Minister of State of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Tamil Nadu, Dr. L. Murugan, invited us to attend the opening of the new seaweed park in the Gulf of Mannar, along with training beneficiaries. More recently, in 2024, India’s Hon. Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Sri Dharmendra Pradhan, invited women trained to meet him during Republic Day celebrations in Delhi, thus recognizing their achievements.