UN Women, The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, and IT’S A GIRL THING (IAGT) INDIA, a property by ZEE Live and Branded, in their shared objective of empowering and inspiring young women, have come together to present IAGT India’s Regional Edition, a global festival that empowers young women to break stereotypes and express themselves, this International Women’s Day.
This year, UN Women under the “Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world” theme celebrates women as powerful agents of change in shaping a more gender-inclusive future. It seeks to address the vastly under-represented leadership roles in politics, businesses, and communities. UN Women has been successful in empowering women to break the traditional glass ceiling and make their presence felt in all spheres of life. In line with UN Women’s objective, IAGT India aims to build a safe ecosystem for women to express themselves. It is an initiative which brings girls together to form a united community, through various formats – online, in person at festivals, cross culturally and around their interests – so they build the spirit of sisterhood and never stop dreaming of becoming everything they want to be.
The seamless partnership between IAGT and UN Women will raise actionable awareness that fully leverages the potential of women’s leadership and expertise. IAGT India – Regional Edition taking place on 6th- 7thMarch 2021 covering regional languages – Punjabi, Bengali, Kannada and Marathi with an all India national finale on 8th March 2021, will witness interesting panel discussions featuring regional, national, and international influencers, creators and industry experts on topics like careers, celebrating sisterhood, adulting, entrepreneurship, women education, body positivity, fashion, self-awareness, global issues and much more.
Talking about their partnership with IAGT India, Nishtha Satyam, Deputy Country Representative, UN Women India, said, “Women of the world want and deserve an equal future free from stigma, stereotypes and violence, a future that’s sustainable, peaceful, with equal rights and opportunities for all. To get us there, the world needs women at every table where decisions are being made. UN Women is honoured to collaborate with IAGT to curate essential conversations to make our world not just gender-equal but gender-responsive.”
Swaroop Banerjee, Chief Operating Officer and Business Head, Zee Live, further adds, “We are humbled and honoured to have partnered with a powerful and cause driven entity such as UN Women to help promote gender equality and women empowerment. With synergies in line, partnering with something as prestigious as the UN Women will just add value to the festival while helping it reach a maximum audience.”
Commenting on their continued association with UN Women, Jasper Donat, co-founder and CEO of Branded, states, “Educating and empowering young women is extremely important not only for their individual growth but also for a holistic development of society and the world at large. We are extremely proud to bring IAGT to India once again and hope our successful partnership with UN Women continues and furthers with every edition.
At its first ever digital edition in October 2020, IAGT India had eminent speakers such as Liza Koshy, Prajakta Koli, Akriti Kakar, Dia Mirza, Dolly Singh, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Raja Kumari, Rhea Kapoor, Mali from the Music and Entertainment Industry, Barkha Singh, Merrell Twins and Sejal Kumar from Fashion, Aranya Johar, Megha Rao and Shaheen Bhatt from Literature and Journalism, Avani Awasthee and Robert Swan OBE from Climate Change amongst others who were successful in reaching out to over 12 million young and impressionable viewers.