Overcoming the challenges of the pandemic. A women perspective

On August 10, 2020 Russian National Committee on BRICS Research and BRICS Russia Expert Council held the online round table, titled “Overcoming the challenges of the pandemic. A women perspective”.

Women’s unique potential, which combines empathy, emotional intelligence and pragmatism, should become the basis for fostering their leadership in the initiatives to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 crisis. The governments of the BRICS member states should do more to ensure equal economic, political and social rights of females. In the course of the discussion, experts considered the main challenges faced by the BRICS member states in empowering women, including women’s participation in the economy primarily, assistance to women-owned enterprises, and adequate social support.

The event was attended by distinguished experts, including Inga Legasova, Chairperson of the NGO "Union of Women's Forces" (Russia), Nataliya Zaiser, Chair and Founder of Africa Business Initiative Union (Russia), Pam Rajput, Chair of the High-Level Committee on the Status of Women (India), Evgenia R. Bogatova, Chairman of the Audit Committee of the All-Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (Russia), Priti Darooka, Executive director PWESCR International (India), Zodwa Mogami, Chairperson of Leading Ladies of Africa (South Africa), Anita Gurumurthy, Executive Director IT for Change (India), Anna Yarvits, Chairperson of the first Board of Trustees for PRO Women Foundation (Russia), Maria Jose, Professor at Getulio Vargas Foundation (Brazil).

Video is available by following the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEzAeFyn7oY

National Committee on BRICS Research is a non-profit academic think tank, created in 2011. The primary goal of the Committee is to promote Russia’s position and its expert assessments internationally, and to coordinate the activities of leading research organizations and experts regarding BRICS. With Russia’s Chairmanship of BRICS in 2015 and 2020, the Committee’s work has acquired special importance. The National Committee on BRICS Research is an integral part of all the main activities being conducted by the Russian Federation in the framework of its BRICS Chairmanship.

BRICS Russia Expert Council was created in 2019 to carry out scientific research, expert advisory and analytical activities within the framework of preparing and ensuring the Chairmanship of the Russian Federation in the BRICS association with the participation of the National Committee on BRICS Research on the basis of the structural subdivision of the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Service under the President of the Russian Federation. The main purpose of the BRICS Expert Council is to organize and carry out research, create expert platforms, work out meaningful issues of ensuring the activity of Russia in the BRICS association, including within the framework of its Chairmanship in 2020, and study the strategies of developing countries and new international formats.