The Sixth India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Women’s Forum met recently in a virtual setting. Currently, India holds the position as chair of the IBSA Dialogue Forum.
Highlights From the Meeting
2020 marked several notable anniversaries. These include the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BDFA), which identified 12 key areas requiring urgent attention to ensure greater equality between individuals of all genders. Significantly, the year also marked 5 years since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Goal 5 of these goals works towards eliminating all forms of discrimination and violence against women. It was the 20th anniversary of UNSC RESOLUTION 1325 on women, peace, and security, as well as ten years since UN WOMEN was founded.
The meeting also praised the efforts made by the Government of India to help other countries cope with the Covid-19 pandemic. India’s actions have included the provision of vaccines, masks, sanitizers, PPE Kits, and other forms of aid.
India’s Efforts Towards Women Empowerment
India’s constitution enshrines equal rights for men and women under Articles 14 to 16. The country signed the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 1980 and ratified it in 1993, albeit with some reservations. To combat the issue of dowry and domestic violence, the government instituted the Dowry Prohibition Act (1961) and the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (2005).
India has also enhanced maternity leave from 12 to 26 weeks in the private sector through the 2017 Maternity Benefit Act, before which the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013 was established. A significant win for women’s rights was achieved in 2020 when women were permitted to serve as army commanders.
The government has also taken measures to promote gender equality through initiatives such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, and Mahila-E-Haat. Despite these measures, India continues to rank low on global gender equality scales.
The India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Dialogue Forum
Established to promote cooperation between the three countries, the IBSA Dialogue forum is a tripartite grouping that consists of India, Brazil, and South Africa. The group was created following a meeting between the foreign ministers of each country on June 6, 2003, in Brasilia.
To date, IBSA has held five leadership summits, with the fifth taking place in Pretoria, South Africa, in 2011. In addition, the IBSA Fund for Alleviation of Poverty and Hunger has executed 31 projects across 20 developing nations since its establishment in 2004.
IBSAMAR, a joint naval exercise, is an integral part of IBSA’s trilateral defense cooperation, with six editions held so far. The most recent exercise was held off the coast of South Africa in October 2018.
