Ministry of Women and Child Development press release · 11 March 2026 · pibtracker filter

MoS WCD Smt. Savitri Thakur holds a series of bilateral meetings with international counterparts and senior UN leadership on the margins of CSW-70

PRID2238089 MinistryMinistry of Women and Child Development Released11 March 2026 Reading11 min

Cooperation on advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment discussed Posted On: 11 MAR 2026 2:01PM by PIB Delhi On the margins of the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW-70) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Smt. Savitri Thakur, held a series of bilateral meetings with international counterparts and senior UN leadership on 10 March 2026 to discuss cooperation on advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment. Bilateral Meeting with France MoS held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Ms. Aurore Bergé, Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister for Equality between Women and Men and the Fight against Discrimination, Government of France. The discussion focused on strengthening cooperation in the area of inclusive and responsible Artificial Intelligence, with both sides exchanging views on how collaboration and knowledge sharing can advance gender equality in emerging technologies. MoS highlighted key initiatives and programmes of the Government of India aimed at women’s empowerment. The French Minister shared insights on France’s strengthened domestic violence legislation and its implementation, and both sides discussed opportunities for further collaboration. Engagement with UN Women Leadership MoS also interacted with senior leadership of UN Women during a side event held on the margins of CSW-70. The event was attended by Ms. Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women; Ms. Christine Arab, Regional Director; Ms. Kanta Singh, Deputy Representative (Programme & Operations), India Multi-Country Office; and Ms. Shoko Ishikawa, Deputy Director, Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division. In her remarks, MoS highlighted India’s sustained efforts towards women’s empowerment and gender equality, and emphasized strengthening future collaboration between India and UN partners to accelerate progress on gender-responsive policies and programmes. The Minister noted that during India’s G20 Presidency, UN Women partnered with India in advancing the priorities of the Women-20 (W20) agenda. UN Women has also been working closely with the Ministry of Women and Child Development and NITI Aayog on initiatives aimed at achieving gender equality and promoting women’s empowerment. The Minister also welcomed Ms. Shoko Ishikawa’s forthcoming role as Representative of UN Women in India and expressed confidence in further strengthening the partnership between India and UN Women in advancing shared goals of gender equality and women’s empowerment. Bilateral Meeting with Canada MoS further held a bilateral meeting with the H.E. Ms. Rechie Valdez, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism), Government of Canada. The discussions highlighted the strengthening of India–Canada relations following the launch of the New Roadmap for India–Canada Relations by the Foreign Ministers in October 2025, which has helped accelerate bilateral engagement across multiple sectors. The Minister expressed optimism that, with the advancement of bilateral ties, India and Canada can emerge as reliable partners, particularly in the areas of early childhood education, health, and cognitive development, contributing to the long-term prosperity and well-being of their peoples. *** SS/PC (Release ID: 2238089) Visitor Counter : 414 Read this release in: Urdu , Marathi , हिन्दी Ministry of Women and Child Development MoS WCD Smt. Savitri Thakur holds a series of bilateral meetings with international counterparts and senior UN leadership on the margins of CSW-70  Cooperation on advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment discussed Posted On: 11 MAR 2026 2:01PM by PIB Delhi On the margins of the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW-70) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Smt. Savitri Thakur, held a series of bilateral meetings with international counterparts and senior UN leadership on 10 March 2026 to discuss cooperation on advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment. Bilateral Meeting with France MoS held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Ms. Aurore Bergé, Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister for Equality between Women and Men and the Fight against Discrimination, Government of France. The discussion focused on strengthening cooperation in the area of inclusive and responsible Artificial Intelligence, with both sides exchanging views on how collaboration and knowledge sharing can advance gender equality in emerging technologies. MoS highlighted key initiatives and programmes of the Government of India aimed at women’s empowerment. The French Minister shared insights on France’s strengthened domestic violence legislation and its implementation, and both sides discussed opportunities for further collaboration. Engagement with UN Women Leadership MoS also interacted with senior leadership of UN Women during a side event held on the margins of CSW-70. The event was attended by Ms. Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women; Ms. Christine Arab, Regional Director; Ms. Kanta Singh, Deputy Representative (Programme & Operations), India Multi-Country Office; and Ms. Shoko Ishikawa, Deputy Director, Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division. In her remarks, MoS highlighted India’s sustained efforts towards women’s empowerment and gender equality, and emphasized strengthening future collaboration between India and UN partners to accelerate progress on gender-responsive policies and programmes. The Minister noted that during India’s G20 Presidency, UN Women partnered with India in advancing the priorities of the Women-20 (W20) agenda. UN Women has also been working closely with the Ministry of Women and Child Development and NITI Aayog on initiatives aimed at achieving gender equality and promoting women’s empowerment. The Minister also welcomed Ms. Shoko Ishikawa’s forthcoming role as Representative of UN Women in India and expressed confidence in further strengthening the partnership between India and UN Women in advancing shared goals of gender equality and women’s empowerment. Bilateral Meeting with Canada MoS further held a bilateral meeting with the H.E. Ms. Rechie Valdez, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism), Government of Canada. The discussions highlighted the strengthening of India–Canada relations following the launch of the New Roadmap for India–Canada Relations by the Foreign Ministers in October 2025, which has helped accelerate bilateral engagement across multiple sectors. The Minister expressed optimism that, with the advancement of bilateral ties, India and Canada can emerge as reliable partners, particularly in the areas of early childhood education, health, and cognitive development, contributing to the long-term prosperity and well-being of their peoples. *** SS/PC (Release ID: 2238089)  Cooperation on advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment discussed" /> On the margins of the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW-70) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York,  Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Smt. Savitri Thakur, held a series of bilateral meetings with international counterparts and senior UN leadership on 10 March 2026 to discuss cooperation on advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment. Bilateral Meeting with France MoS held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Ms. Aurore Bergé, Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister for Equality between Women and Men and the Fight against Discrimination, Government of France. The discussion focused on strengthening cooperation in the area of inclusive and responsible Artificial Intelligence, with both sides exchanging views on how collaboration and knowledge sharing can advance gender equality in emerging technologies. MoS highlighted key initiatives and programmes of the Government of India aimed at women’s empowerment. The French Minister shared insights on France’s strengthened domestic violence legislation and its implementation, and both sides discussed opportunities for further collaboration. <img src="https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/userfiles/image/image001NIP5.jpg" style="height:401px; width:602px" />   Engagement with UN Women Leadership MoS also interacted with senior leadership of UN Women during a side event held on the margins of CSW-70. The event was attended by Ms. Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women; Ms. Christine Arab, Regional Director; Ms. Kanta Singh, Deputy Representative (Programme & Operations), India Multi-Country Office; and Ms. Shoko Ishikawa, Deputy Director, Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division. In her remarks, MoS highlighted India’s sustained efforts towards women’s empowerment and gender equality, and emphasized strengthening future collaboration between India and UN partners to accelerate progress on gender-responsive policies and programmes. The Minister noted that during India’s G20 Presidency, UN Women partnered with India in advancing the priorities of the Women-20 (W20) agenda. UN Women has also been working closely with the Ministry of Women and Child Development and NITI Aayog on initiatives aimed at achieving gender equality and promoting women’s empowerment.   <img src="https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/userfiles/image/image002V367.jpg" style="height:401px; width:602px" /> The Minister also welcomed Ms. Shoko Ishikawa’s forthcoming role as Representative of UN Women in India and expressed confidence in further strengthening the partnership between India and UN Women in advancing shared goals of gender equality and women’s empowerment.   <img src="https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/userfiles/image/image003CN8W.jpg" style="height:401px; width:602px" />   Bilateral Meeting with Canada MoS further held a bilateral meeting with the H.E. Ms. Rechie Valdez, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism), Government of Canada. <img src="https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/userfiles/image/image004Q7ZX.jpg" style="height:332px; width:499px" /> The discussions highlighted the strengthening of India–Canada relations following the launch of the New Roadmap for India–Canada Relations by the Foreign Ministers in October 2025, which has helped accelerate bilateral engagement across multiple sectors. The Minister expressed optimism that, with the advancement of bilateral ties, India and Canada can emerge as reliable partners, particularly in the areas of early childhood education, health, and cognitive development, contributing to the long-term prosperity and well-being of their peoples. <img src="https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/userfiles/image/image0051V07.jpg" style="height:360px; width:539px" /> *** SS/PC " /> var mPlayer = document.getElementById("background_music"); var mPlayAction = document.getElementById("playbutton"); var isPlaying = false; function playAudio() { mPlayer.play(); isPlaying = true; document.getElementById('stopA').style.display = "block"; document.getElementById('playA').style.display = "none"; } function pauseAudio() { mPlayer.pause(); isPlaying = false; document.getElementById('playA').style.display = "block"; document.getElementById('stopA').style.display = "none"; } //function HandleAudio() { // if (isPlaying == true) { // //Playing already Pause it // pauseAudio(); // } else { // //Play the music // playAudio(); // } //} var synth = window.speechSynthesis; function CleanHtml(html) { html = html.replace(/ /gi, ''); return html; } function stripHtml(html) { let tmp = document.createElement("DIV"); tmp.innerHTML = CleanHtml(html); return tmp.textContent || tmp.innerText || ""; } $(document).ready(function () { //for responsive tables $("table").each(function () { if (!$(this).closest(".table-responsive").length) { $(this).wrap(" "); } }); var width = $(window).width(); if (width $(document).ready(function () { var width = $(window).width(); if (width @media print { .sticky-social, .sticky-social_mb, .pull-right, #printPDF { display: none !important; } } .f_vl { padding-right: 30px; font-size: 17px; cursor: pointer; } .log_oo { // width: 20%; display: flex; justify-content: space-between; } .log_oo img { width: 150px; /*width: 100%; height: auto;*/ } .sticky-social_mb { position: fixed; bottom: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; width: 100%; } .social_mb { list-style: none; display: flex; width: 100%; margin-bottom: -8px; } .social_mb a { padding: 8px 0px; font-size: 30px; transition: all 0.8s ease-in-out; width: 20% !important; text-align: center; } .section1 { position: relative; padding: 10px 0px; width: 100%; } .sticky-social { position: fixed; top: 20px; left: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; } .social { list-style: none; } .social a li { padding: 8px 12px; font-size: 25px; transition: all 0.8s ease-in-out; } .social a li:hover { margin-right: -30px; box-shadow: 2px 5px 10px grey; } .social a li:hover .fa { margin-left: 20px; } .fb_b { /* background-color: rgb(59, 89, 152);*/ background-color: rgba(65,103,178,255); } .twitter_r { /* background-color: rgb(29, 161, 242);*/ background-color: #000000; } .whatsapp_r { /* background-color: rgb(77, 194, 71);*/ background-color: rgba(13,191,67,255); } .fa-envelope_r { /* background-color: rgb(219, 68, 55);*/ background-color: #e2123d; } .fa-linkedin_r { background-color: rgb(0, 119, 181); } @media only screen and (max-device-width: 767px) { p span img { max-width: 90% !important; height: auto !important; } p img { max-width: 90% !important; height: auto !important; } h2 { font-size: 20px !important; font-weight: 600 !important; } h3 { font-size: 18px !important; font-weight: 600 !important; } } /* === Film Roll Badge Styling(IFFI2025 countdown) === */ .film-roll-badge { position: absolute; top:82%; right: 20px; width: 230px; height: 70px; background: repeating-linear-gradient( to right, #9a2375 0px, #9a2375 18px, #6e2b8b 18px, #6e2b8b 36px ); border-top: 8px solid #9a2375; border-bottom: 8px solid #9a2375; border-radius: 8px; overflow: hidden; box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); animation: moveFilm 8s linear infinite; z-index: 10; } /* film sprocket holes */ .film-roll-badge::before, .film-roll-badge::after { content: ""; position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 10px; background: repeating-linear-gradient( to right, #9a2375 0px, #9a2375 10px, #fff 10px, #fff 20px ); left: 0; z-index: 2; } .film-roll-badge::before { top: -4px; } .film-roll-badge::after { bottom: -4px; } .film-roll-inner { position: relative; height: 100%; display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; animation: flicker 2s infinite ease-in-out; } .countdown-text { font-size: 1.3rem; font-weight: 700; color: #fff; text-shadow: 0 0 6px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4), 0 0 10px #000; white-space: nowrap; } /* === Animations === */ @keyframes moveFilm { 0% { background-position: 0 0; } 100% { background-position: 120px 0; } } @keyframes flicker { 0%, 100% { opacity: 1; } 50% { opacity: 0.9; } 25% { opacity: 0.95; } 75% { opacity: 0.85; } } /* === Responsive Adjustments === */ @media (max-width: 1500px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 68%; right: 18px; /* width: 220px; */ height: 65px; font-size: 0.85rem; } .press-section { margin-top: 35px; } } @media (max-width: 992px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 52%; right: 10px; width: 200px; height: 60px; } } @media (max-width: 768px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 56%; right: 10px; width: 124px; height: 55px; } .countdown-text { font-size: 0.9rem; } } @media (max-width: 576px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 59%; right: 5px; /* width: 160px; */ height: 50px; } .countdown-text { font-size: 0.85rem; } } const festivalStart = new Date("2025-11-20T00:00:00").getTime(); const festivalEnd = new Date("2025-11-28T23:59:59").getTime(); const countdownElement = document.getElementById("countdown"); const interval = setInterval(() => { const now = new Date().getTime(); // BEFORE FESTIVAL — show days + hours left if (now = festivalStart && now el.style.width = "350px"); clearInterval(interval); } }, 1000); //

Original PIB release
pib.gov.in · PRID 2238089

Open on PIB ↗

MoS WCD Smt. Savitri Thakur holds a series of bilateral meetings with international counterparts and senior UN leadership on the margins of CSW-70

More from this day