International Conference on Gender Equality (ICGE-II) to be held from 11th to 13th February, Get Details Here

Gender Park-UN Women to hold ICGE-II: As per the latest update, The Gender Park, in partnership with UN Women, is set to host the Second Edition of the International Conference on Gender Equality (ICGE-II) from 11-13th February 2021. The Conference is scheduled to be held at the Calicut campus of Gender Park and will be focused on Theme of “Gender in Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Social Business: The Mediating Role of Empowerment.” The conference is being held to enable stakeholders to engage with different aspects of sustainable entrepreneurships and social businesses.

COVID-19 Impact on Sustainable Development

As per the details shared by the organizers, the conference will lay special emphasis on discussion about sustainable development, especially in the backdrop of the COVID-19 crisis. This unprecedented COVID-19 crisis has forced economies around the world to prioritize their policy around sustainable development. With governments trying to restart economic activities post lockdown restrictions, the economic stimulus packages and low interest rates provided have brought to the fore several opportunities for innovation and new businesses. Efficient spending on these emergency resources, with a focus on sustainable entrepreneurship and social business, will not only help economies recover from the setbacks of COVID-19 crisis but also will also accelerate their efforts towards sustainable development.

The Challenge of Widening Gender Gap

Another important topic that will be under discussion at the conference would be the widening gender gap amid the on-going pandemic. The sudden outbreak of Coronavirus has adversely impacted the work that was being carried out for gender equality over the years. While the pandemic has had a negative impact on the lives and work of almost everyone, it has affected women the most in the last 10 months. However, now with economic activity restarting, efforts are required to advantage of the entrepreneurial and leadership potential of women, which will also held businesses recover from the impact of the pandemic quickly. Therefore, the need of the hour is to enable women through social entrepreneurship. Doing so, will help economies to bring about lasting social change and create a more equitable world.

Conference Theme

As reported earlier, the International Conference on Gender Equality (ICGE-II) is being centred on the theme of “Gender in Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Social Business: The Mediating Role of Empowerment.” During the conference, experts, policy makers and relevant stakeholders will hold discussions on the critical linkages between entrepreneurship, economic growth and poverty reduction.

Speaker Line-Up

Going by the details available right now, around 50 speakers, which include industry experts and academics, are expected to address the conference and share their ideas and perspective on the central theme. The conference will also see several delegates, including budding entrepreneurs and social innovators from national and international quarters, who will share their knowledge and experiences at the conference.

To evaluate these and many other similar issues in detail, Gender Park has invited many speakers from different backgrounds, who will share their experiences and perspectives on  women's participation in social business.

The keynote address will be given by Dr. Jayati Ghosh, a renowned developmental economist and Chair of the Center for Economic Studies and Planning at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Some of the other distinguished speakers who will be addressing the conference include Ms. Aishwarya Rutuparna Pradhan - India's first transgender civil servant working at Odisha Financial Services (OFS) as a Commercial Tax Officer; Dr. Meera Veludhan - Policy Analyst and Regional Coordinator, the Indian Association for Women's Studies (IAWS); Mr. Jean Dreze, Belgian-born Indian economist, social scientist and activist; Ms. Kalki Subramaniam, transgender rights activist, artist, actress, writer, motivational speaker and entrepreneur.

Brochure Released by Kerala Health Minister

The three-day conference was confirmed by Kerala Minister for Health, Social Justice and Women & Child Development K K Shailaja. Ms Shailaja also released the official brochure for the conference which contains important details including the theme of the conference. The brochure launch event was also attended by UN Women Deputy Country Representative Nishtha Satyam, Biju Prabhakar , Secretary, Social Justice and Women & Child Development, and Dr P T M Sunish, CEO of The Gender Park, an autonomous body under the state government. The three-day conference is scheduled to be held at The Gender Parks Kozhikode campus in a partially- digital (hybrid) format, given the prevalence of COVID-19.