First, of its kind, Kerala sets the floor for ‘ Gender Park’

The Kerala government’s Rs 300 crore three-tower “Gender Park,” alleged to be the first of its kind in the country and striving towards gender equality in the state, will become functional here from February. The launch will correspond with the second edition of the International Conference on Gender Equality (ICGE-II), state Health, Social Justice, and Women and Child Development Minister KK Shailaja stated on Tuesday.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the IGCE-II and the Gender Park. On an opening day, he will also lay the foundation of the International Women’s Trade and Research Centre (IWTRC) that envisions a secure and sustained ecosystem for women entrepreneurs and scope for them to market their products.

The valedictory function will be inaugurated by Kerala Finance Minister Dr. T M Thomas Isaac. It will see the publication of a policy draft based on the highlights of the entire sessions at ICGE-II. A Gender Museum, Gender Library, Convention Centre, and an Amphitheatre will also be begun at the event. These four facilities will form the first phase of the Gender Park that works towards gender equality in the state, KK Shailaja told a press conference here.

ICGE-II will examine measures to promote the financial potential of women and transgenders to help them grow as sustainable entrepreneurs.

With ‘Gender in Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Social Business: The Mediating Role of Empowerment’ as the main theme, the ceremony at the Park’s campus is being arranged in association with UN Women, which is part of the United Nations.

The Gender Museum will highlight various social struggles that led to shifts in the situation of women, their achievements, and turning points, including those during the Renaissance movement. The Gender Library envisions the creation of public awareness on gender and its role in the development of society. The state-of-the-art Convention Centre will have the capacity to accommodate more than 500 people. The Amphitheatre is set against a lush green backdrop.

‘Such an effort is the first in not just the country, but perhaps the whole world‘, the Minister claimed. “Already we have allotted Rs 26 crore for the Gender Park and earmarked another Rs 15 crore for the next financial year,” The government has also approved an administrative sanction of Rs 172 crore, “Women in Kerala have high education, but no proportional representation in employment,” she noted. sessions and as many parallel sessions, in strict observance of the COVID-19 protocol. Policymakers, academics, professionals, and domain experts, besides ministers and diplomats from 30 countries will take part in the event.

Organizations and institutions around the world will witness the proceedings live. “Women in Kerala have high education, but no proportional representation in employment,” she noted.

The December 21 MoU facilitates the Gender Park to build a Gender Data Centre. All the projects at the Park will get assistance from UN Women, the Minister said. The first edition of the ICGE at Kovalam near Thiruvananthapuram in 2015, had Gender, Governance, and Inclusion as its theme. It saw the official release of Kerala State Policy for Transgenders.