Participants shared various approaches to building digital infrastructure that works for women with India’s Cabinet Minister of Women and Child Development, Annpurna Devi, highlighting the country’s approach to digital inclusion: ” Digital Public Infrastructure should be a bridge, not abBarrier!” Successful models such as India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI), have revolutionized financial transactions, with women increasingly using digital platforms for savings and investments.
At the historic 1995 Beijing meeting, more than 200 Indian women were in attendance along with the Government of India, helping shape what became the most comprehensive global blueprint for advancing women’s rights. India has also demonstrated commitment through gender-responsive budgeting, increasing its allocation for gender-specific programs to 8.8 percent of the national budget in 2025-26 amounting to $55.2 billion.
In a similar vein, Fatima Zohra Iraqi, Head of Human Rights Unit, Minister of Health, Morocco, shared their policy approach: “The finance law in Morocco integrates a gender-responsive budgeting approach, aiming to promote gender equality through fiscal policies. This approach ensures that public resources are allocated in a way that reduces disparities between men and women.”
Amurwani Dwi Lestariningsih, Deputy Minister for Gender Equality, Indonesia, noted, “While the gender gap in digital access remains a challenge, our government recognizes women’s crucial role in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). With 64.5 per cent of MSMEs in Indonesia being women-led, they significantly contribute to our country’s economic resilience.”
Qatar emphasized that women’s economic empowerment is essential for achieving the SDGs. Buthaina Bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi, Minister of Social Development and Family, stressed: “It is crucial to maintain and increase core resources to UN Women, ensuring funding is both flexible and predictable to boost investment in gender equality, which will positively impact the lives of women and girls.” During her remarks, the Minister announced a contribution of USD 1 million from Qatar to UN Women’s core resources.
Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, Parvathaneni Harish, highlighted the rationale for investing in women: ” Digital and financial inclusion are not just tools for economic growth—they are a transformative force for bringing about women’s equality and empowerment.” This perspective underlined the event’s core message that financial and digital inclusion must go beyond access to create pathways for women’s leadership and decision-making power.
The discussion underscored alarming statistics: globally, a $1.7 trillion financing gap persists for women-owned MSMEs, while financial literacy rates for women remain disproportionately lower than for men in almost every country and across all age groups.