Empowering people, communities and institutions

By 2027, a strengthened and more coordinated, inclusive and accountable governance system is in place at the national and local levels enabling all people, especially the most marginalized and vulnerable, to be protected, empowered, engaged and enjoy human rights and social justice, and lead their lives with respect and dignity.

Outcome 6 is embedded in the "Participation" pillar of the UNSDCF, which aims at contributing to strengthening institutions and empowering people and communities to enjoy human rights and social justice, and lead their lives with respect and dignity, thereby reducing inequalities, particularly gender inequality. Being cross-sectoral, Outcome 6 has a bearing on and is influenced by all the SDGs.

The UN works closely with the Government of India and partners to end all forms of discrimination by empowering people and communities. A core focus of the UN’s activities is the promotion of meaningful participation and empowerment opportunities to increase the voice, choice, agency and security of children, youth, women and vulnerable groups and communities.

The UN system contributes to strengthening institutions and systems for SDG localization through technical support to NITI Aayog, central ministries, state, and local governments.

Challenges

• Convergence is essential considering the complexity and size of India. It requires investments, robust coordination and feedback mechanisms
• Improving collection and use of disaggregated data at all levels of governance
• Social protection services need to better reach the last mile
• Changing social norms on gender, age, ability, sexuality, etc., require time and community-level engagement
• Social norms also require early intervention and involvement of parents, gatekeepers and community members
• Changing social norms often carry the risk of backlash
• Financing for children, youth and women’s interests needs to be prioritized and tracked
• Implementing India’s robust legal and policy frameworks requires political leadership, adjustment to local context and mainstreaming of learning and efficiency components to reach the last mile

• Additional and deeper coordination is needed between the UN system and the government at the central, state and local levels, as well as with other development actors

   

UN system contribution to Outcome 6 focuses on ensuring that:

• SDG localization processes and systems are strengthened, and that the administration of public services, including public finance and local governance, are more accountable to respond to vulnerable groups, including women and children, migrants, sexual minorities, PwDs, PLHIVs and key affected populations, SCs and STs, refugees and other marginalized groups.
• A focused action plan to accelerate SDG achievements is developed and executed at the national and subnational levels which takes into account the learnings from various SDG monitoring efforts, progress analysis, and development priorities and gaps.
• India’s progress and good practices on SDG localisation are shared and showcased for the benefit of other developing countries, including at global fora, such as those convened by the Regional Commissions, ECOSOC and the General Assembly.
• Comprehensive policies and programmes on prevention and response to gender-based violence (GBV), especially for women and children, migrants, sexual minorities, PwDs, PLHIVs and key affected populations, SCs, STs and other marginalized groups, are in place and effectively implemented for full enjoyment of their social, political and economic rights.
• Children, adolescents, youth and other vulnerable groups, especially the most marginalized and vulnerable, have increased equitable access to opportunities for participation, inclusion, decision-making and to justice and protection services till the grassroots level.
• Improved policy frameworks, institutional mechanisms, resources and capacities for age-sensitive and gender transformative and inclusive social protection services are in place.
• Data and knowledge generation and sharing at international, national and sub-national levels, especially on vulnerable groups including women and children, migrants, sexual minorities, PwDs and PLHIVs and key affected populations, SCs, STs and other marginalized groups are strengthened.
• India’s experience in facilitating international technical cooperation is showcased to other countries and global good practices on key priorities are integrated at national and subnational levels. India provides technical expertise and contributes to regional development.
• Nearly 150 million women were part of the workforce in India, representing about 20 percent of the labour force that is engaged in any form of work in the market economy. This is much lower than the global average of 40 percent. This figure further dropped to 16% in 2020, as a direct impact of the pandemic. At 17 percent, India has a lower share of women’s contribution to GDP than the global average of 37 percent.
• Unpaid care duties remain a significant barrier, with women, on average, spending 352 minutes per day on unpaid work. Moreover, women comprise only 14% of all landowners in India. Women comprise 42% of agricultural labour, but own 9% of land. Mobile and internet access by women remains poor with only 21% women using mobile internet, preventing them from accessing financial services, education and jobs.
• Violence against women and girls is a violation of their basic human rights. It affects their mental, physical, and sexual well-being, it prevents them from participating fully in society and the workforce, and it generates large economic costs impacting national budgets and overall development. The declining child sex ratio, the practice of gender-biased sex selection, and child marriage all illustrate the extent to which gender discrimination and gender inequality are deeply ingrained. Even among women, those belonging to vulnerable communities like Dalit, Adivasi, other Scheduled castes, tribal, indigenous minorities and women with disabilities, face multiple forms of discrimination and inequalities.
• With increasing unemployment and access and availability of quality education going down, the youth of India are unable to access opportunities of growth and employment. A comprehensive approach is needed to address the concerns of young people in a holistic manner, driven by volunteerism, participation and leadership of young people.

UN development support and partnerships to achieve Outcome 6

The UN system contributes to strengthening institutions and systems for SDG localization through technical support to NITI Aayog, central ministries, state governments and local governments. It supports evidence/knowledge generation to strengthen social sector budgets and programmes, including SDG acceleration and sustainable financing, for better outcomes for children, women and other vulnerable groups, including in humanitarian contexts.

The UN system contributes to identifying examples of India’s development progress and best practices in SDG implementation and localisation with an eye to distilling policy and implementation insights that can be shared with other developing countries and relevant stakeholders.

The UN system contributes to strengthening multisectoral coordination mechanisms to address GBV, including during disasters and health emergencies. It will provide technical support for interventions so that children, adolescents, youth and people from marginalized backgrounds have equitable access to opportunities for participation, inclusion and to justice and protection services.

Efforts are being made to amplify children and young people’s voices in bottom-up planning of the local governance institutions like the gram panchayats to ensure democratic participation in the policies and development plans impacting their lives.

The UN system collaborates with states to design and implement policies to deliver development programmes to marginalized populations (women and children, migrants, sexual minorities, PwDs, PLHIVs and key affected populations, SCs, STs, refugees and other marginalized groups). It supports development and strengthening of state policies and strategic action plans that address GBV, harmful practices and discriminatory gender, sexuality and social norms.

The UN system assists in developing and/or implementing social protection programmes and policies that are gender transformative, shock responsive and disability inclusive, and this is a key area of intervention.

The UN system partners with the government statistical system to strengthen the availability of disaggregated data. It showcases India’s experience through South–South Cooperation. Under SSTC, the UN facilitates knowledge sharing on statistical systems, census, etc., to other developing countries.

The UN system convenes with countries, diaspora organizations and other relevant actors to engage with transnational communities as agents and accelerators of sustainable development. It fosters a strong relationship with diasporas to not only include financial remittances but also social remittances like exchange of ideas, skills and knowledge for contributing towards building holistic relations.

The UN system supports India’s endeavours in technical capacity building of other countries.

LNOB focus: 

Empowering the marginalized gives them the voice and the agency for their effective participation and engagement. The UN system collaborates with states to design and implement policies to deliver development programmes to marginalized populations, including women and children, migrants, sexual minorities, PwDs, PLHIVs and key affected populations, SCs/STs and other minorities, refugees and asylum seekers, people who use drugs and prisoners. It supports the development and strengthening of state policies and strategic action plans that address GBV, harmful practices and discriminatory sexual and social norms.

Synergies with government schemes and programmes:

Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram, Census, Civil Registry and Vital Statistics, National Family Health Survey (NFHS), National Sample
Survey Office (NSSO), Gram Panchayat Planning, cash transfer schemes for women and children, Mission Shakti, Mahila Shakti Kendra,
Nehru Yuvak Kendra, National Service Scheme (NSS), Ayushman Bharat, relevant programmes and initiatives of the Ministry of External
Affairs