NITI Aayog, in partnership with IIM Ahmedabad, Gates Foundation and the Government of Gujarat organised the Workshop on SDG 5: Gender Equality at IIM Ahmedabad under the State Support Mission (SSM). The purpose of the workshop was to launch the State and District Reports on SDG 5 and disseminate their findings to accelerate women-led development.

The Workshop brought together senior government officials from States and Union Territories, representatives from various Ministries of the Government of India, UN and international agencies (UNDP, UNICEF, UNWOMEN, World Bank, etc.), along with NGOs and other experts working in the field to share insights to drive evidence-based action at the district level. The technical sessions focused on strengthening SDG 5 monitoring and evidence systems, women’s economic empowerment and social empowerment of women.

The inaugural session was graced by Smt. Annpurna Devi, Minister of Women and Child Development, Dr. Manisha Vakil, Minister (WCD), Government of Gujarat, Dr. M. Srinivas, Member, NITI Aayog, Mr. Stefan Priesner, United Nations Resident Coordinator (UNRC), India and Prof Bharat Bhasker, Director, IIM-A, among others.

During the Inaugural session, Smt. Annpurna Devi, Minister for Women and Child Development, Government of India launched SDG 5 State and District Reports and highlighted the importance of good data, robust ecosystems with tech-enabled monitoring and time-bound evaluations, for dynamic policy making. Dr. Manisha Vakil, Minister for Women and Child Development, Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Government of Gujarat, stressed the importance of implementation, deepening convergence and targeted interventions that are responsive to local needs and realities. Dr. M. Srinivas, Member, NITI Aayog emphasised that the report will help identify achievements and priority areas at the district level, support progress towards the 2030 targets and enable the sharing of success stories across States and globally. Prof. Bharat Bhasker, Director, IIM-A highlighted the programs implemented by IIM-A for women entrepreneurs. Mr. Stefan Priesner, United Nations Resident Coordinator (UNRC), India underscored that locally driven SDG progress reaching women and girls in every district and panchayat will directly contribute to the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

State and District reports on SDG 5 are policy briefs, encouraging data for development to generate insights and monitor progress across time, enabling more targeted interventions and budget alignment on gender equality.

The technical sessions of the workshop focused on strengthening evidence-based policymaking, advancing women’s economic empowerment and promoting community-led approaches for accelerating progress towards SDG 5. Discussions highlighted the need for stronger gender-disaggregated data systems, district-level monitoring frameworks, gender-responsive budgeting, skilling, financial inclusion, care economy support and improved access to quality employment and enterprise opportunities. Deliberations also emphasised behavioural interventions and grassroots institutional mechanisms to address gender norms and enhance women’s participation in social and economic decision-making.

Overall, the workshop reinforced the importance of moving from broad policy approaches to more granular, district-focused strategies for advancing gender equality. The discussions demonstrated how the SDG 5 State and District analysis can serve as a critical tool for supporting data and evidence-led decision-making, enabling States and districts to understand local challenges better and design context-specific interventions. The workshop marks an important stepping stone towards deeper engagement with States and districts through continued handholding and policy support. The insights generated through this initiative will support States in identifying priority areas, strengthening convergence across schemes, improving monitoring systems, aligning budgets with local needs, and translating evidence into actionable strategies on the ground to accelerate progress towards SDG 5.

 

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