UNESCO Chair for Gender Equality at Amrita University

According to an official statement released by Amrita University, UNESCO has set up a Chair for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment at Amrita University. According to sources, UNESCO Chair took place in a spiritual programme of the university’s Chancellor Amritanandamayi Devi in Paris on October 30, 2016. The programme was attended by Indian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to UNESCO, Ruchira Kamboj and Dr. Peter Wells, International Body’s Chief of Higher Education.

Dr. Wells spoke about how girls’ education plays a vital role in the development of the country and world peace. The Chair will be playing a significant role in promoting research. The main objective of the Chair is to develop toolkits focusing on vital areas including climate change, health and skills.

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P. Venkat Rangan, Vice-Chancellor of Amrita University, revealed that they would identify the problems faced by women and girls in India and address them over for the next four years. The major focus would be on promoting gender equality in all aspects that include security, education, skill development and employment.

The UNESCO Chair Programme was launched in the year 1992 which comprises of a global network of more than 700 universities across 128 countries. The main objective of the programme is to promote international inter-university co-operation and networking through knowledge sharing and collaborative work which would enhance institutional capacities.

There is a need to promote gender equality especially in rural India where women are deprived of various opportunities due to societal norms. Creating awareness would bring changes in the society for the good.