Day (-) 4 of Mentor On Road, USA

Buddha was the great preacher of equality. Every man and woman have the same right to attain spirituality − that was his teaching. 

Swami Vivekananda 

After a long day in New Jersey yesterday, I traveled to New York today, where I was scheduled to have an interaction with a delegation from the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women also known as UN Women. UN Women is a United Nations entity working for the empowerment of women. UN Women became operational in January 2011. 

The delegation was led by Mrs Lakshmi Puri (Assistant Secretary-General for Intergovernmental Support and Strategic Partnerships at (UN Women), Ravi Karkara (Senior Advisor on Strategic Partnerships and Advocacy to the Assistant Secretary General to the UN and Deputy Executive Director, UN Women), and Meg Jones (Chief, Economic Empowerment at UN Women). The work carried out by these leaders under the umbrella of this noble institution is nothing short of exemplary. It was, indeed, a matter of immense pride and honor for me to receive the UN Women badge.

After going through an insightful discussion, we arrived at the following steps that UN Women and Mentor On Road will carry out together, in a time bound manner, to ensure sustainable empowerment of women:  

1. I will be promoting the "He for She" mission by UN Women across all thirty-two cities I will be travelling to during the course of Mentor On Road, USA. It is a step in the right direction towards empowering women. The mission, in their own words, says, "The world is at a turning point. People everywhere understand and support the idea of gender equality. They know it’s not just a women’s issue, it’s a human rights issue. And when these powerful voices are heard, they will change the world. The time for that change is now."  
2. Mentor on Road will conduct a "UN Women Orange Road Drive" in India, starting from November 25th, 2017 − International Day for the elimination of violence against women to December 10th, 2017 − International Day of Human Rights. To know more about Orange the world campaign and the Orange day, click here.
3. I will be working closely with the Mayor of Ahmedabad, Shri Gautam Shah on implementing the principles that are required to declare Ahmedabad as a "Global Safe City" for women.
4. We have also come to an agreement to work together on the women's event in Sharjah on December 4th, 2017. It will be a great opportunity for Indian businesswomen to interact with their global counterparts.
5. Lastly, we will work together on Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality.  The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a comprehensive roadmap for the future of people and planet. Empowering women and girls is central to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. To learn more about the mission, click here.

After meeting the delegation, I became aware of many more issues concerning women across the world and will share them with you in the coming days. UN Women is doing a commendable job. Mentor On Road is committed to the idea of equality for all and is honored to be associated with UN Women to take this commitment forward and help this noble cause.

Towards the end, I would like to quote the former UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, "Achieving gender equality requires the engagement of women and men, girls and boys. It is everyone's responsibility."

We are responsible.

That is all from me tonight. Good night, folks!

Jai Ho!