Thiruvananthapuram: Hailing Kerala as the lighthouse of the global South in women empowerment, UN Women on Monday entered into an agreement that recognized the state governments Gender Park as South Asia's hub for gender equality.

While the world body reiterated that Kerala has been a role model for the rest of the world through exemplary leadership in gender equality initiatives, Chief Minister of the state Pinarayi Vijayan described the partnership as a step in the right direction to further the cause of a just and equal society. Dr P T M Sunish, CEO of the Gender Park, an autonomous body under the state government, signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with UN Women Deputy Country Representative Nishtha Satyam at Cliff House, the Chief Ministers official residence here.

 The two officials exchanged the agreement, marking the start of many ambitious projects where UN Women will offer project development and capacity building to The Gender Park for the empowerment of women in South Asia.

“Undoubtedly, Kerala is one of the best places in the region to emerge as a hub of gender discourse,” Vijayan said. Noting that the state’s women are among the country’s most educated, he quoted a recent official survey that cited a rise in female workforce participation to 20.4 percent in 2018-19 from 16.4 percent in 2017-18. The chief minister stressed the need for social enterprises and businesses to be gender-inclusive so as to empower communities. “This is important for us to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030,” he said, adding that the government looks forward to the cooperation with UN Women and its contributions to Kerala society.

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