How do you foresee the outcomes of the Women’s Summit aligning with the broader objectives of the BRICS CCI in promoting women-led development? 

The prime focus of BRICS CCI WE is on women empowerment initiatives and policies across geographies by creating an enabling support system for women entrepreneurs and professionals across geographies. Every year we try to keep a topical theme for our Annual Summit, something that we feel will really be a game-changer for women in their pursuit of economic equality in the long term. The theme of our 4th Annual Summit and Felicitations 2024 The Changing Narrative: Women Development to Women-led Development resonates with the Government’s emphasis on Women-Led Development. We also unveiled a report, New Era of BRICS: Horizons in Tech and Business for Women Empowerment with a focus on the BRICS countries and also hosted the Convocation of the first batch of participants of the BRICS CCI WE Global Women Leadership Programme. The Summit also honored extraordinary women icons who have made significant contributions to the advancement of women’s development and also recognized the achievements of women entrepreneurs, both within and outside the BRICS CCI network. The powerful speeches, insightful discussions and deliberations at the day-long Summit have set the pace for us to look at more meaningful programmes in the coming year focusing on women empowerment programmes across the BRICS and other friendly countries. 

In your opinion, how critical is the need for women’s empowerment across BRICS nations? 

Out of the estimated 3.8 billion women in the world population, over 2 billion live in BRICS countries. The world will never realize women’s empowerment in the real essence without empowering women of BRICS nations. There has been an improvement in the status of women in BRICS countries over the last decade with their contribution to social and economic progress becoming more notable. However, a lot still remains to be done. Globally, as per the World Bank, just one out of three businesses are owned by women. Some of the difficulties faced by women entrepreneurs, especially in developing economies are lack of access to finance and legal inequalities. As attention to women’s issues has been rising in BRICS and other countries, the need for programmes aimed at empowering women entrepreneurs and providing a platform for them to scale up their businesses is important. 

How do you foresee BRICS CCI WE’s role in advancing women-led development within the BRICS framework? 

Leadership and financial literacy training programmes backed by sound education are needed to equip women with the skills and confidence they need to take on leadership roles in their communities and organizations. BRICS CCI WE aims to play an important role in bridging this gap through our structured programmes, roundtables and reports. We are also working towards creating a network of women entrepreneurs and other professionals globally to promote business interactions among members by organizing regular events platforms and other forms of interactions. 

What are some of the highlights of the New Era of BRICS: Horizons in Tech and Business for Women Empowerment?

The New Era of BRICS: Horizons in Tech and Business for Women Empowerment Report sheds light on the technology and entrepreneurship landscape for women across the BRICS countries, emphasizing both progress and persistent challenges. It underscores the critical role of women’s empowerment in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and fostering economic and social growth. With the expansion of BRICS in 2023, encompassing new members and representing a substantial portion of the global population and economy, the report underscores the significance of gender equality initiatives in the tech and business sectors.