In a significant development, India has successfully established the “Global Alliance for Global Good- Gender Equity and Equality” to champion women’s empowerment and gender equality during Thursday’s 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

The announcement occurred in the presence of the founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, Mr. Professor Klaus Schwab, along with the Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Ms. Smriti Z. Irani, and Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs & Petroleum and Natural Gas, Mr. Hardeep Puri, who attended a gathering of notable Indian business figures at a dinner hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

This alliance aims to consolidate global best practices, facilitate knowledge sharing, and attract investments in women’s education, health, and enterprise. Notably, it has received endorsement from international corporate entities such as MasterCard, Microsoft, and numerous domestic industry leaders.

Mr. Professor Klaus Schwab lauded India’s active participation at Davos 2024 and commended the country’s remarkable success in achieving a consistent annual growth rate of seven percent. He characterized India’s narrative as one of success, emphasizing the integral relationship between development and the nation. He expressed support for initiatives to bolster India’s self-reliance, recognizing the interconnected nature of progress in the country.

Schwab called India’s story a successful one, said development goes hand in hand with India. “When you look at India, I think development goes hand in hand with India. If I look at support to make India an indigenous powerhouse, it’s just unbelievable…success rate of 7 per cent. We don’t always imagine what it means because if it’s 7 per cent, you double economy every ten years and if you take a generation of 20 years, you quadruple GDP.”

He said this shows how India with its enormous economic growth “will become an economic powerhouse. But the situation is to keep and put emphasis on equality and inclusion.”

The WEF Founder then expressed his gratitude to the forum’s Indian partners. “I would like to thank particularly our Indian partners since you are very strong driver, you are exemplary in terms of engagement.”

“I would like to thank the government because such a strong delegation some weeks before the election, means how much the government is also conducting. And finally, my thanks to CII because since for over 40 years now it has become not only a partnership, it has become a friendship,” he said.

In her address, Union Minister Smriti Irani thanked the World Economic Forum for being a gentle, gracious but very strong support to the Indian industry.

She said: “I stand here today proud that on the streets, as money walks and politics talks, we could bring together the best of industry, enterprise and humanity in the grand alliance. There have been many naysayers for those who spoke up for gender and those who made an economic and a social justice aid for gender.”

“But as Indians today, we are proud to say that Narendra Modi, as prime minister, even in the aftermath of the pandemic, has not only given growth consistently at 7 per cent, not only controlled inflation, which was a decade ago in double digits but also ensured that we as Indians could provide food security for 800 million fellow citizens, could deliver 200 billion vaccine doses and then take a pharmaceutical spectacle to 160 nations that this year 945,000,000 Indians will qualify to vote to bring into government in a democracy which is not only the largest but the oldest in the world,” she said.

The Union Minister said the alliance is dedicated towards an India that is propelled towards a greater future and will leave no one behind.