**Executive Summary**
On March 10, 2026, the Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Smt. Savitri Thakur, held bilateral meetings with international counterparts and UN leadership on the margins of CSW-70 in New York. The discussions focused on advancing gender equality and women's empowerment, exploring cooperation in emerging technologies and strengthening bilateral ties.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Bilateral Meeting with France:**
* Discussions centered on strengthening cooperation in inclusive and responsible Artificial Intelligence, with a focus on collaboration and knowledge sharing to advance gender equality in emerging technologies.
* India highlighted its initiatives for women's empowerment.
* France shared insights on its domestic violence legislation and its implementation.
* Opportunities for further collaboration were discussed.
* **Engagement with UN Women Leadership:**
* Interactions with senior leadership of UN Women focused on accelerating progress on gender-responsive policies and programmes through strengthened collaboration between India and UN partners.
* India's G20 Presidency saw UN Women partner on the Women-20 (W20) agenda.
* UN Women is collaborating with the Ministry of Women and Child Development and NITI Aayog on gender equality and women's empowerment initiatives.
* Confidence was expressed in strengthening the partnership between India and UN Women for shared goals.
* **Bilateral Meeting with Canada:**
* Discussions highlighted the strengthening of India-Canada relations following the launch of the New Roadmap for India-Canada Relations in October 2025.
* The potential for India and Canada to emerge as reliable partners in early childhood education, health, and cognitive development was noted.
**Impact Analysis**
* **Ministry of Women and Child Development (India)**
* **Impact:** Engaged in high-level discussions to foster international cooperation and share insights on women's empowerment and gender equality. Strengthened partnerships with France, UN Women, and Canada.
* **Action Required:** Continue to implement initiatives discussed and explore collaborative opportunities with partner countries and UN bodies.
* **Government of France**
* **Impact:** Engaged in discussions on AI and gender equality, shared insights on domestic violence legislation, and explored collaboration opportunities with India.
* **Action Required:** Actively pursue collaborations with India in the areas of AI and women's empowerment.
* **UN Women Leadership**
* **Impact:** Discussed strengthening partnerships with India to accelerate progress on gender equality and women's empowerment initiatives. Confirmed ongoing collaboration with Indian government bodies.
* **Action Required:** Continue to collaborate with the Ministry of Women and Child Development and NITI Aayog on gender equality and women's empowerment initiatives, and support the implementation of the strengthened partnership with India.
* **Government of Canada**
* **Impact:** Discussed strengthening bilateral relations and potential partnership in areas such as early childhood education, health, and cognitive development with India.
* **Action Required:** Actively engage in advancing bilateral ties with India and pursue collaborative opportunities in the identified sectors.
Key Entities Referenced
CSW-70: The 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, where the meetings took place.
Ministry of Women and Child Development: The Indian ministry involved in the discussions and initiatives.
UN Women: The United Nations entity focused on gender equality and women's empowerment, with whom India is collaborating.
Smt. Savitri Thakur: Minister of State for Women and Child Development, India, who held the bilateral meetings.
Government of France: The French government with whom India held bilateral discussions on gender equality and AI.
Ministry of Women and Child Development
MoS WCD Smt. Savitri Thakur holds a series of
bilateral meetings with international counterparts
and senior UN leadership on the margins of
CSW-70
Cooperation on advancing gender equality and women’s
empowerment discussed
Posted On: 11 MAR 2026 2:01PM by PIB Delhi
On the margins of the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW-70) at the United
Nations Headquarters in New York, Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Smt. Savitri
Thakur, held a series of bilateral meetings with international counterparts and senior UN leadership on 10
March 2026 to discuss cooperation on advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Bilateral Meeting with France
MoS held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Ms. Aurore Bergé, Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister for
Equality between Women and Men and the Fight against Discrimination, Government of France. The
discussion focused on strengthening cooperation in the area of inclusive and responsible Artificial
Intelligence, with both sides exchanging views on how collaboration and knowledge sharing can advance
gender equality in emerging technologies. MoS highlighted key initiatives and programmes of the
Government of India aimed at women’s empowerment. The French Minister shared insights on France’s
strengthened domestic violence legislation and its implementation, and both sides discussed opportunities
for further collaboration.Engagement with UN Women Leadership
MoS also interacted with senior leadership of UN Women during a side event held on the margins of
CSW-70. The event was attended by Ms. Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women; Ms. Christine
Arab, Regional Director; Ms. Kanta Singh, Deputy Representative (Programme & Operations), India
Multi-Country Office; and Ms. Shoko Ishikawa, Deputy Director, Policy, Programme and
Intergovernmental Division. In her remarks, MoS highlighted India’s sustained efforts towards women’s
empowerment and gender equality, and emphasized strengthening future collaboration between India and
UN partners to accelerate progress on gender-responsive policies and programmes.
The Minister noted that during India’s G20 Presidency, UN Women partnered with India in advancing the
priorities of the Women-20 (W20) agenda. UN Women has also been working closely with the Ministry of
Women and Child Development and NITI Aayog on initiatives aimed at achieving gender equality and
promoting women’s empowerment.The Minister also welcomed Ms. Shoko Ishikawa’s forthcoming role as Representative of UN Women in
India and expressed confidence in further strengthening the partnership between India and UN Women in
advancing shared goals of gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Bilateral Meeting with Canada
MoS further held a bilateral meeting with the H.E. Ms. Rechie Valdez, Minister of Women and Gender
Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism), Government of Canada.The discussions highlighted the strengthening of India–Canada relations following the launch of the New
Roadmap for India–Canada Relations by the Foreign Ministers in October 2025, which has helped
accelerate bilateral engagement across multiple sectors.
The Minister expressed optimism that, with the advancement of bilateral ties, India and Canada can
emerge as reliable partners, particularly in the areas of early childhood education, health, and cognitive
development, contributing to the long-term prosperity and well-being of their peoples.
***
SS/PC
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