Kerala CM to launch Gender Park Campus on Sunday, lay foundation for IWTRC

India will get its pioneering Gender Park Campus on February 14 when Kerala Chief Minister ShriPinarayiVijayan will launchits government initiative at Kozhikode that aims to contribute to the gender discourse in South Asia in association with the UN Women.

At the ceremony in suburban Silver Hills of Kozhikode city, the Chief Minister will formally dedicate a Gender Museum, Gender Library, Convention Centre and an Amphitheatre as facilities to boost gender equality in the region through research, policy advice and uniquely conceptualized interventions. He will also lay the foundation of an International Women’s Trade and Research Centre (IWTRC) that envisages a secure and sustained ecosystem for women entrepreneurs and a space for them to market products.

The Rs.200-crore project on the 24-acre campus envisages to help women to realise their untapped economic potential and empower them to become sustainable entrepreneurs. The Gender Park is hosting the second edition of a February 11-13 International Conference on Gender Equality (ICGE-II), with Kerala’s Department of Women and Child Development organising the event in partnership with UN Women, a body of the United Nations.

Sunday’s function at 9.30 am will be chaired by Kerala Minister for Health, Social Justice and Women and Child Development Smit KK Shailaja. There will be three special addresses: by UN Women Deputy Country Representative (MCO – India, Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka) Ms Nishtha Satyam, US Embassy & Consulates in India Consul General Ms Judith Ravin and Ambassador for Gender Equality (Australia) Ms Julie Ann Guivarra.

Key felicitation addresses will be delivered by Kerala Ministers T P Ramakrishnan (Labour and Excise) and A K Saseendran (Transport). The other speakers will be Shri A Pradeepkumar, MLA; M K Raghavan, MP; Kozhikode Mayor Dr Beena Philip, transgender rights activist Dr Akkai Padmashali, Gender Park Advisor Dr Mallika Sarabhai and SubrotoBagchi, Chairman, Odisha Skill Development Authority & Adviser to Chief Minister of Odisha. Gender Park CEO Dr P T M Sunish will welcome the gathering and Department of Women & Child Development Director Smt T V Anupama will propose thanks.

The Gender Park will also facilitate a fellowship programme called WiSE (Women in Sustainable Entrepreneurship) to support aspiring women entrepreneurs and scale up their ventures. On December 21 last year, the Gender Park and UN Women entered into an equal partnership to work together on shared goals of gender justice.