Thank you Madam President, 

At the outset, I would convey appreciation of my delegation for your presentation on the field visit of the UN-Women Executive Board Bureau to India in April this year. We understand that UN-Women Executive Board Bureau has prepared this report based on understanding of UN-Women's work in India and their cooperation with the Government of India.  

Madam President, 

India has partnered UN Women since its inception to address critical issues concerning gender equality and empowerment of women in national and global context. India has so far made voluntary contribution of US$ 6 million to UN Women for its global operations.  

It is in this context we welcomed and facilitated the field visit of the UN-Women Executive Board Bureau to India. This provided an opportunity for the UN Women delegation to gain first-hand understanding of UN-Women's work at the country level and its cooperation with the Government of India.  

UN Women has partnerships with several Ministries and various other Government agencies at national and sub-national levels.  

We were also happy to facilitate meetings with our leadership including the Minister of Women and Child Development as well as high officials from various agencies and other partners during the field visit.  

As the delegation members would have witnessed, decisive and result-oriented steps are being taken by the Government of India to achieve gender equality and women empowerment including through multi-sectoral flagship programme 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao - Celebrating Girl Child and Enabling her Education' which has been highest priority by our Prime Minister.  

We strongly believe in the linkages between development and empowerment of women. The SDGs related to women empowerment are already being implemented in India through various flagship programmes focusing on poverty eradication, promotion of health and sanitation, financial inclusion and economic empowerment of women. India's Voluntary National Review this year has presented an in-depth analysis of our actions under the SDG 5.  

Legislation on expanding the maternity benefits, amendments to Indian criminal law in 2013 broadening definition of sexual harassment and the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 are significant steps to provide a safe and enabling environment for women in India. 

Madam President, 

We hope that the visit has provided evidence-based insights into policy environment and extent of cooperation amongst diverse partners and stakeholders in India, which would contribute to fine-tuning UN Women's normative and operational roles globally. 

Going ahead, we look forward to work with UN Women to enable them to forge effective partnerships, provide technical advice and implement programmes with greater understanding of cultural diversity, social norms, traditions and differences in levels of economic development across spaces and their interlinkages with women empowerment.  

UN Women has a catalytic role in the realization of the universal agenda for gender equality and women empowerment, guided by the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action and the transformative 2030 Agenda.  

India remains committed to work with UN Women in its endeavour to fulfill its mandate. 

Thank you.