Raisina Dialogue 2022 hosts the Launch of a New Boon on the Role of Women Leaders during COVID

By: WE Staff | Thursday, 28 April 2022

The role of women leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic is celebrated in a new book released on Wednesday at an event hosted by the think tank Observer Research Foundation (ORF).

At the Raisina Dialogue 2022, the book The First Responders: Women Who Led India Through The Pandemic was unveiled.

The book, co-published by the Reliance Foundation and ORF, depicts the lives of women who supported their communities across India, as well as their involvement in helping to battle the pandemic's obstacles at the grassroots level.

The book launch was followed by a panel discussion on the subject, ‘The First Responder: Women Leadership and the SDGs’, with Smriti Irani, Minister for Women and Child Development; Kwati Candith, Deputy Minister, International Relations and Co-operation, South Africa; Waseqa Ayesha Khan, Member of Parliament, Bangladesh; and Shombi Sharp, Resident Coordinator, India, United Nations.

The contributions of 25 Indian women in government, education and skilling, health and nutrition, entrepreneurship and livelihoods, and their individual journeys to leadership over several years are highlighted in this book.

A water conservation advocate from Uttarakhand, a health worker from Madhya Pradesh, a football coach from Manipur, and a police officer from Telangana are among the women leaders profiled in the book.

"The practices, methods and tools used by the ‘First Responders’ have learnings for policymakers and development practitioners, and the outcomes envisaged in Goal 5 of UN Sustainable Development Goals that calls up on the international community to ensure full and effective participation and equal opportunities for women," RIL said in a statement.

Raisina Dialogue 2022 hosts the launch of a new boon on the role of women leaders during COVID

The role of women leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic is celebrated in a new book released on Wednesday at an event hosted by the think tank Observer Research Foundation (ORF).

At the Raisina Dialogue 2022, the book The First Responders: Women Who Led India Through The Pandemic was unveiled.

The book, co-published by the Reliance Foundation and ORF, depicts the lives of women who supported their communities across India, as well as their involvement in helping to battle the pandemic's obstacles at the grassroots level.

The book launch was followed by a panel discussion on the subject, ‘The First Responder: Women Leadership and the SDGs’, with Smriti Irani, Minister for Women and Child Development; Kwati Candith, Deputy Minister, International Relations and Co-operation, South Africa; Waseqa Ayesha Khan, Member of Parliament, Bangladesh; and Shombi Sharp, Resident Coordinator, India, United Nations.

The contributions of 25 Indian women in government, education and skilling, health and nutrition, entrepreneurship and livelihoods, and their individual journeys to leadership over several years are highlighted in this book.

A water conservation advocate from Uttarakhand, a health worker from Madhya Pradesh, a football coach from Manipur, and a police officer from Telangana are among the women leaders profiled in the book.

"The practices, methods and tools used by the ‘First Responders’ have learnings for policymakers and development practitioners, and the outcomes envisaged in Goal 5 of UN Sustainable Development Goals that calls up on the international community to ensure full and effective participation and equal opportunities for women," RIL said in a statement.