“…there is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women.”
Former UN Secretary General Mr. Kofi Anan
Women’s empowerment refers to providing the crucial rights to women in order to make them self-reliant. It is a process in which women gain better share of control over resources – material, human and logical like knowledge, information, ideas and financial resources. It also helps to get control over decision-making in the home, community, society and nation, and to gain ‘power’. Empowering Women aims to encourage women with the courage to break free from the chains of restraining belief patterns and societal or religious conditioning that have traditionally kept women suppressed and unable to see their true beauty and power.
The empowerment of women, and improvements in their social, economic and health status are strongly acknowledged by the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) as highly important and are seen as indispensable for the achievement of sustainable development. Empowerment of women also requires participation and co-operation of men. It is well thought-out that the socio-economic empowerment of women will raise women’s self esteem, awareness, skill development, creative decision making, and this may lead to produce better citizens and thereby a better world.