Thu Jan 23 21:54:34 IST 2025: ## Irani and Gates Reaffirm Commitment to Women’s Empowerment at Davos
**Davos, Switzerland –** Former Indian Union Minister Smriti Irani announced a significant partnership between her Alliance for Global Good – Gender Equity and Equality and the Commonwealth Secretariat at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2025. The announcement follows a meeting between Irani and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, where they reaffirmed their shared commitment to empowering women globally.
The Alliance, launched last year and supported by the Gates Foundation and the CII Centre for Women Leadership, with the World Economic Forum as a network partner, focuses on improving women’s health, enterprise, and education and skills training. Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland emphasized the partnership’s alignment with the Commonwealth’s vision of empowering women and girls across its 56 member nations.
Irani described her meeting with Gates as “impactful,” highlighting his invaluable support and insights. She stated on X (formerly Twitter) that they reaffirmed their dedication to fostering a more equitable world through collaboration and transformative partnerships.
The Alliance, which has already launched the 100K initiative in partnership with the Women Collective Forum – aiming to empower 100,000 Indian women – serves as a powerful example of collective leadership in the pursuit of gender equity, according to Irani. The initiative targets corporate leaders, entrepreneurs, business owners, and professionals.
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