New Delhi [India], March 9 (ANI): Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annpurna Devi will attend the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, set to begin on March 10 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Annpurna Devi will deliver the National Statement at the Commission and participate in the Ministerial Roundtable. She will highlight initiatives for health and wellbeing, education and entrepreneurship, digital and financial inclusion, promoting women's leadership and decision-making and reducing drudgery through a slew of initiatives.

She will also participate in discussions on various issues related to the empowerment of women and girls, including the commitment to resourcing and accelerating the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

CSW is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality, the rights and the empowerment of women. A functional commission of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the forthcoming session of the Commission will be held from 10 to 21 March, 2025.

This year's session is momentous as the year 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the landmark global guiding instrument on the empowerment of women and girls, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995.

The session will focus on reviewing and evaluating its implementation, analysing global progress and challenges in achieving gender equality, empowering women, and fully realising the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Union WCD Minister will also be the guest of honor at a high-level side-event at the UN Headquarters attended by Ministers and senior level officials from various countries, along the sidelines of the Commission, on the theme, 'Ministerial Roundtable on Digital and Financial Inclusion - A Catalyst for Women's Empowerment and Leadership: Experiences from the Global South & Criticality of Core Resources,' organized by Government of India in collaboration with UN Women Headquarters on March 12.

The session will be attended by representatives of all UN member states, intergovernmental organisations, the private sector, philanthropists, academia, civil society, women's collectives, and UN agencies.

During the visit, the Union Minister will also hold an interactive session with the Indian diaspora in honor of International Women's Day. (ANI)