The Tamil Nadu government on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with UN Women to further strengthen women’s welfare, gender equality and inclusive development in the State.
UN Women, a United Nations entity working globally to promote gender equality and support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals through a gender-sensitive framework, will partner with the State government to enhance institutional capacities for gender-responsive governance and planning.
According to officials, the key components of the MoU include integrating a gender equality perspective in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, strengthening gender-responsive planning and budgeting, and expanding opportunities for women’s economic empowerment. The Tamil Nadu government said UN Women has agreed to provide technical support for implementing these initiatives.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu has also been selected as the first State in India for a national-level innovation initiative of the United Nations Children’s Fund Innovation Office based in Sweden. As part of this, a six-month tripartite cooperation agreement has been entered into.
The agreement was signed between the United Nations Children’s Fund Innovation Office, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Public Sector Innovation Observatory, and the State Planning Commission of the Government of Tamil Nadu.
The State government said the tripartite agreement would help create a conducive environment for innovation within government departments and State-run institutions, support the design, research and evaluation of innovative public social services, and strengthen the capabilities of government institutions through the State Planning Commission.
