New Delhi,  April, 2025.

Fruitful global acceleration programmes for women entrepreneurs, making gender part of mainstream media discourse,  mandating 33% quota for women, whether it is a boardroom, in judiciary or cultural sectors, setting up a fund for women candidates in elections and ISO standards certification for women- led organisations, council for dispute resolution, state support for maternity benefits, gender segregated data collection as well as mentoring, financial literacy and skilling initiatives for women…

These are some of the recommendations in a whitepaper unveiled by the BRICS Chamber of Commerce and Industry Women’s Empowerment Vertical (BRICS CCI WE). Titled ‘Accelerate Action for a Gender Equal World’ the whitepaper includes perspectives of global women changemakers, entrepreneurs, corporate executives and policy experts who came together at the BRICS CCI WE Trailblazers Roundtable to deliberate on the topic as at the current trajectory, full gender parity may not be realized until 2158—five generations from now according to the World Economic Forum.

Ms. Kalpana Sharma, Former Additional Secretary to Lok Sabha- Parliament of India; Senior Advisor, BRICS CCI; Founder Principal Advisor to FORE Centre for Political Leadership and Governance and Roundtable Chair said, “Women must play a central role in shaping emerging technologies, particularly AI, as innovators and decision-makers. Political representation remains a critical lever for systemic change. The deliberations and whitepaper recommendations are a powerful reminder that collaboration, mentorship, and leadership are the key to unlocking a future where women not only participate but also lead.”

According to Ms. Ruby Sinha, President, BRICS CCI WE, “Out of the approximately 3.8 billion women population worldwide, over 2 billion reside in the BRICS nations, making their empowerment crucial for global gender equality. Accelerate Action is not just a theme; it is an urgent call for systemic change. Women need partnerships, active networks, and financial literacy to succeed in a competitive marketplace. We need transformative solutions to the needs of women entrepreneurs and must amplify women’s voices globally so that their challenges are not an afterthought in international discussions.”

The whitepaper also features insights from prominent women leaders and changemakers viz. Ms. Lebogang Zulu National Chairperson - BRICS Women’s Business Alliance South Africa; Dr. Nandini Sharma Former Councillor, New Delhi; Ms. Lalita Panicker, Consulting Editor, Hindustan Times; Ms. Elena Shifrina CEO & Founder, BioFoodLab; Ms. Amrita Grover Advocate at Supreme Court of India; Dr. Valli Arunachalam, Semiconductor Technologist and Philanthropist; Ms. Anuradha Chowdhary, Founder & CEO, ZeroTo3 Collective; Ms. Tatiana Seliverstova, Director of the International Acceleration Program "BRICS Business Incubator" and "SCO Business Incubator"; Ms. Shabana Nasim, Executive Director, BRICS CCI; Chief Patron, BRICS CCI WE; Ms. Shivani Singh Kapoor Co-Founder, ThinkStartup; Ms. Sanghamitra Buddhapriya Dean (Academics), FORE School of Management, New Delhi; Ms. Shormishtha Ghosh, Governing Body Member, BRICS CCI & MD-Intandem Consultancy and Ms. Ankita Sachdev Joint Director, BRICS CCI.

To fast-track progress, the whitepaper calls for urgent Accelerating Action across key areas, including cultural and societal barriers, the gender pay-gap, women’s leadership and mentorship, legal frameworks, gender-responsive policies and cross-cultural solutions. It also highlights the critical role of men in achieving gender balance and the necessity of state and societal support structures for working women. The whitepaper calls for bold, actionable steps to move beyond discussions and create real, measurable progress toward gender equality.