New Delhi [India], March 18 (ANI): Shombi Sharp, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in India, emphasised the critical importance of gender equality, calling it the most vital issue in global development. In an interview with ANI, he stated, 'Simply put, there is no more important issue than investing in gender equality worldwide, and India is no exception.' Quoting UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, he reinforced the idea that 'Gender equality is the unfinished business of our times.'

Sharp highlighted the undeniable benefits of equal representation of women in decision-making: 'We see the evidence is clear across the world - where women have equal representation in decision making, households prosper, communities prosper, business are more profitable, countries are more prosperous as well.' He also recognised India's leadership in promoting women-led development on international platforms, particularly through the G20.

'We very much recognise and appreciate the leadership of India for women-led development, to the G20, through so many international initiative that India has put forward, really making a big promise in terms of gender equality across India, and the scale of this impact cannot be really overestimated, because India can account for upwards of 25, or even 50 per cent for some of the global sustainable development goals and targets, so we're very enthusiastic and very optimistic about what's happening here in India,' he added.

With March recognised globally as Gender Equality Month and International Women's Day observed on March 8, Sharp reiterated the importance of continuous efforts toward gender parity. 'I think the message we've heard here today is the importance of 'Har din Mahila Diwas hona chahiye.' Every day should be Women's Day - until we reach gender parity, we will not be able to achieve the goals that we have.' He stressed that gender equality is essential for achieving broader developmental milestones, adding, '(The) 2030 Agenda, and the 2047 Vikasit Bharat - these are two stepping stones along the same path, to peace and prosperity. It's a very exciting and very important discussion today.'

Addressing the global challenge of gender inequality, Sharp noted, 'No country has really, truly achieved full gender equality. This is a global challenge, absolutely.' He acknowledged that while India has made significant progress, there is still a need for further acceleration. 'Here in India, the official data shows that among the STGs, goal number five, gender equality is in need for additional acceleration, absolutely no doubt about that.'

He commended India's recent legislative progress, particularly the Women's Reservation Bill, stating, 'We've seen the Women's Reservation Bill in Lok Sabha, so will be seeing very important increases in women's representation at that level.' He also pointed out the high levels of women's participation at the local governance level, saying, 'Of course, at the local level - at the Panchayat at our level, already women's representation and decision making is very high. That is very important.'

Sharp acknowledged that India's female labour force participation remains low but is showing signs of improvement. 'We see women's labour force participation rates, which are low, but they're going up - important progress being made here in India, and I think really, across the board, the emphasis on women-led development is something that many countries can learn from, and we are consistently working with helping to share Indian best practice in gender equality and in other areas with other countries for their benefit as well, through South-South Cooperation and other mechanisms.'

He described the rise of women's empowerment in India as a powerful force, stating, 'It's very exciting. We see the power of Nari Shakti being unleashed here, and this is the only way we can achieve our collective ambitions.'

Further elaborating on India's large-scale development progress, Sharp spoke about the country's role in lifting millions out of poverty.

'What we're seeing in India is development impact at scale. Hundreds of millions of people are being lifted out of poverty - multi-dimensional poverty; and a big part of that development story, and we at the UN are very honoured to be humble partners in this incredible Indian development story; a big part of that is absolutely gender equality and women's empowerment as well.'

He also highlighted the role of technology and innovation in accelerating financial inclusion for women. 'If you look at the confluence of technology as well, and innovation, India's very important private sector, business industries, innovation services sector, the digitalisation story is huge. India's digital public infrastructure is world class.'

He cited the dramatic rise in women's access to digital banking, saying, 'Through that, we see that women's financial inclusion is rising at an incredible pace. If I'm not mistaken, something like only 25 per cent of women had a digital banking account just maybe five to six years ago, and now that's over 80, maybe 85 per cent. This is progress, this is a story that the world needs to hear more about.' (ANI)