UN Women, Reckitt Partner to Create Economic Opportunities for Women in India

By: WE Staff | Friday, 27 August 2021

UN Women and Reckitt have joined hands to create employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for women in the hygiene, health and sanitation sectors. This will promote gender equality, inclusion, diversity and also the highest standards of governance.A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Gaurav Jain, Senior Vice President, South Asia, Reckitt and Susan Ferguson, Country Representative, UN Women India.

Reckitt will engage with 2 billion people via its programmes, campaigns and partnerships. Each brand is responsible for improving lives through education and providing access to the highest-quality sanitation, health and hygiene.

“We at Reckitt are happy to further strengthen our efforts in this direction with UN Women on this kind one-of-a-kind partnership to support women in our society to become resilient. This partnership aims to equip women with life skills like decision-making, and entrepreneurial opportunities in health, hygiene and sanitation sectors. Together, with UN women, we share the common goal of addressing the educational imbalance, gender inequality, and hygiene for all,” said Gaurav Jain.

“UN Women and Reckitt are committed to improving women’s access to better health and hygiene and decent jobs for women, which is an urgent need in India,” said Susan Ferguson, UN Women

Representation in India.

Founded by Isaac Reckitt, Jeremiah Colamn and Johann Benckiserin 1999 in England, Reckitt is a multinational consumer goods company.It is a producer of nutrition, health and hygiene products.The company has introduced several initiatives in India that the government has categorized as “aspirational”. The initiatives include areas of health, hygiene and sanitation for women. It also includes support for the Harpic World Toilet College, Dettol BanegaSwasth India initiative, Dettol Hygiene Impact Bonds and Harpic Mission Paani.

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created the UN Women (United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women). UN Women’s main goal is to focus on the segments that are fundamental to women’s equality and has the potential to unlock progress across the board. The UN Women has raised access to financing and markets for more than 2,000 women entrepreneurs. UN Women improves their business skills by providing training programmes in some of the poorest districts in the country.

Reckitt India and UN Women are co-creating an impact programme targeting communities where girls and women in India have been affected by discrimination and poverty due to the Covid-19 pandemic.