Advancing digital and financial inclusion of women: CSW69 event highlights pathways to women's economic empowerment

Co-hosted by the Government of India and UN Women, the event focused on "Digital and Financial Inclusion for Women's Empowerment" during the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) – an issue that is particularly relevant to fulfilling the Beijing+30 agenda and its emerging priorities. 

The roundtable featured two main sessions: the first focused on leveraging digital public infrastructure to accelerate women-led development, moderated by Christine Arab, UN Women Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific; the second explored financial inclusion and the criticality of core resources, moderated by Daniel Seymour, Director of UN Women's Strategic Partnerships Division. 

The event discussed how to leverage digital public infrastructure to accelerate women-led development and address the critical issue of financing for women's empowerment, bringing together ministers and high-level representatives from India, Qatar, Morocco, Indonesia, Panama, and Australia. 

Participants shared various approaches to building digital infrastructure that works for women with India’s Cabinet Minister of Women and Child Development, Annpurna Devi, highlighting the country’s approach to digital inclusion: " Digital Public Infrastructure should be a bridge, not abBarrier!" Successful models such as India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI), have revolutionized financial transactions, with women increasingly using digital platforms for savings and investments. 

At the historic 1995 Beijing meeting, more than 200 Indian women were in attendance along with the Government of India, helping shape what became the most comprehensive global blueprint for advancing women's rights. India has also demonstrated commitment through gender-responsive budgeting, increasing its allocation for gender-specific programs to 8.8 percent of the national budget in 2025-26 amounting to $55.2 billion. 

In a similar vein, Fatima Zohra Iraqi, Head of Human Rights Unit, Minister of Health, Morocco, shared their policy approach: “The finance law in Morocco integrates a gender-responsive budgeting approach, aiming to promote gender equality through fiscal policies. This approach ensures that public resources are allocated in a way that reduces disparities between men and women.” 

Amurwani Dwi Lestariningsih, Deputy Minister for Gender Equality, Indonesia, noted, "While the gender gap in digital access remains a challenge, our government recognizes women's crucial role in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). With 64.5 per cent of MSMEs in Indonesia being women-led, they significantly contribute to our country's economic resilience." 

Qatar emphasized that women's economic empowerment is essential for achieving the SDGs. Buthaina Bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi, Minister of Social Development and Family, stressed: "It is crucial to maintain and increase core resources to UN Women, ensuring funding is both flexible and predictable to boost investment in gender equality, which will positively impact the lives of women and girls." During her remarks, the Minister announced a contribution of USD 1 million from Qatar to UN Women’s core resources. 

Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, Parvathaneni Harish, highlighted the rationale for investing in women: " Digital and financial inclusion are not just tools for economic growth—they are a transformative force for bringing about women's equality and empowerment." This perspective underlined the event's core message that financial and digital inclusion must go beyond access to create pathways for women's leadership and decision-making power. 

The discussion underscored alarming statistics: globally, a $1.7 trillion financing gap persists for women-owned MSMEs, while financial literacy rates for women remain disproportionately lower than for men in almost every country and across all age groups. 

Throughout the discussion, participants emphasized that women's economic empowerment serves as a foundation for their participation in decision-making at household, community, and institutional levels. Digital tools were recognized as critical for enabling women to engage with governance systems, lead businesses, and advocate for their rights.

The ministerial roundtable provided an important platform for Member States, especially from the Global South, to share experiences on how UN Women could better leverage its mandate to support countries in delivering on their commitments during this milestone year. 

Commenting on the occasion, UN Women's Deputy Executive Director, Kirsi Madi emphasized the importance of sustainable funding: "UN Women is committed to turning commitments into realities and core resources are the foundation of our work. They enable us to deliver positive change, work in long-term partnerships, drive innovation, test new approaches, scale up digital and financial inclusion, and ensure that no woman is left behind." 

Stephanie Copus Campbell, Ambassador for Gender Equality, Australia, highlighted their ongoing support: “Australia is a proud partner with UN Women. UN Women has the capacity to work at country level with governments on building the ways in which governments and civil societies want to work to identify their problems and address them with solutions.” 

As CSW69 continues to examine global progress on women's empowerment 30 years after the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the Ministerial Roundtable highlighted concrete pathways through digital innovation, financial inclusion, and strategic partnerships that can transform commitments into action. Through commitment to women-led development, financial inclusion, and social transformation, countries like India, Qatar, Indonesia are creating crucial examples of good practice that can drive gender-inclusive and sustainable growth.