Amrita University gets UNESCO Chair on Gender Equality

27 Oct, Paris, France 

UNESCO chair on gender equality and women’s empowerment for Amrita University
 

During Amma’s programmes in Paris, France, the United Nations officially made Amrita University India’s first-ever UNESCO Chair on Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment. The official bestowing of the UNESCO Chair took place before an audience of 8,000 people in Paris who were at Amma’s programme.

 

Special guests included Ruchira Kamboj, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to UNESCO; Dr. Peter Wells, Chief of Higher Education Section, UNESCO; and Gopinathan Achamkulangare, Inspector of the Joint Inspection Unit. Amrita University vice-chancellor P Venkat Rangan handed over the signed agreement on behalf of the university to Dr. Wells.

Dr. Peter Wells, Chief of Higher Education Section, UNESCO, said: “There is no greater force for development, resilience and peace in the world than girls’ education. Universities such as Amrita have a guiding and strategic role to play in this quest. This UNESCO chair will be at the crossroads of research and action, with the ambition to develop toolkits focusing on vital areas, from skills to health to climate change, on mobile technology applications, and better mapping of vulnerabilities. Amrita University and UNESCO share the same humanist agenda, and we look forward to a collaboration which advances the most important frontier for human rights, peace and progress.”
 

Ruchira Kamboj, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to UNESCO, said: “This is certainly the first-ever UNESCO chair in this discipline. What is truly remarkable is the strategy, where it is proposed to map out vulnerabilities of women and girls at various levels and from different perspectives, and through research, study, training, and an exchange of best practices, to find the best possible solutions, replicable by others. My thanks to Amrita University for the inspired idea and for the beautiful project. I am confident that through this chair, Amrita University will make sure that both the ceiling and the floor for women will be raised.”
 

Launched in 1992, the UNESCO Chairs Programme comprises a global network of more than 700 universities, across 128 countries. It promotes international inter-university cooperation and networking to enhance institutional capacities through knowledge sharing and collaborative work. Through the network, higher education and research institutions all over the globe pool their resources, both human and material, to address pressing challenges and contribute to the development of their societies.

 

In Amma's service, 

Shubamrita