NEW DELHI: Condom Alliance, a shared value collective of condom market players and other stakeholders to improve the well-being of young people in India today announced the industry body, ASSOCHAM as its new secretariat.
This partnership is a significant win and is in spirit of the country’s commitment towards SDG 17 that focusses on goal oriented global partnerships as well as SDG 3 that focusses on ensuring good health and well-being.
It is a significant step towards securing the health of the nation’s youth population. As a leading industry body with a legacy that spans over 100 years, ASSOCHAM brings a wealth of experience and perspective along with an exhaustive range of industry and sector knowledge.
ASSOCHAM has witnessed the nation build itself, as society evolved and corporate India soared to great heights.
An active player in shaping the nation, ASSOCHAM continues to work in the space of youth welfare and health services. With its large and diverse member body, ASSOCHAM brings an extensive set of functional skills that will help strengthen the efforts of the Alliance to bring together all the key stakeholders including condom marketers, manufacturers, development partners, donors, and organisations working with the youth to revive the condom market in India by harnessing the power of collective impact.
In its short journey as a shared value initiative, the Condom Alliance, has come a long way as it stands tall as one of the leading voices for better sexual and reproductive health for our nation’s youth. This association with ASSOCHAM, will help steer the Alliance with sharper strategic insights, build a stronger cohesive voice and cast a wider net for the Alliance’s efforts and initiatives. Thus, enhancing reach with a wider and diverse audience across the nation.
Deepak Sood, Secretary General, ASSOCHAM, said, “We are excited to join Condom Alliance on its journey towards securing a healthier future for our nation’s youth. Being a young nation is a significant advantage, but we can only harness the power of this unique resource by ensuring the holistic health and wellness of the youth population, including their reproductive and sexual health. We aspire to enrich the Alliance with our wealth of industry expertise and global partnerships as well as bolster the advocacy programme to address the current social and regulatory barriers. We look forward to this opportunity to strengthen and shape our nation’s future.”
He added, “ASSOCHAM under the aegis of its AFCSR (ASSOCHAM Foundation for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been working with government officials and private sector representatives to support India’s development goals. AFCSR together with Condom Alliance would help us collectively empower adolescents across the country and address a whole range of gender-based issues concerning them including menstrual hygiene and reproductive rights.”
Ravi Bhatnagar, Founding Member, Condom Alliance and Director of External Affairs and Partnerships, South Asia, Reckitt, said, “I am delighted to have an illustrious industry body such as the ASSOCHAM come on board as the new secretariat for the Condom Alliance. To bring about a significant and sustainable impact it is imperative to build a platform that is credible and diverse. There cannot be a better partner than ASSOCHAM to strengthen the platform created by Condom Alliance in the past few years and take its efforts to the next level. With its large, credible and celebrated member body, ASSOCHAM has the ability to bring about the positive behavioural change in society, that the Condom Alliance has been relentlessly working towards. ASSOCHAM as the new secretariat will help build a stronger and more powerful industry voice to assist the Alliance realise its vision of ensuring the health and safety of India’s youth.”
Prabhleen Tuteja, Director of Programmes, YP Foundation, Member of the Condom Alliance, shared her thoughts on this new appointment and said, “This strategic partnership with an illustrious industry body such as the ASSOCHAM is a welcome step towards achieving United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 17, which aims to strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize global partnership for sustainable development. With ASSOCHAM’s reach and presence across sectors, we hope to shape and implement effective industry frameworks as well as a strong advocacy programme to bring about positive impact with initiatives directed towards holistic health and wellness for the nation’s youth.”
The Condom Alliance was established in January of 2019 with support from United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The Alliance has a ratified charter endorsed by India’s condom market leaders such as DKT India, HLL Lifecare Limited, Janani, Population Health Services India (PHSI), PSI India Private Limited, Reckitt, Raymond Consumer Care, TTK Healthcare Ltd, to name a few, accounting for the majority of condom sales in India. The Condom Alliance is poised to expand its work by engaging with multiple stakeholders to pursue its mission of improving the health and well-being of young people in India. The Alliance aims to achieve this by collaborating with the Government of India, developmental NGOs, donors and the private sector to remove barriers in order to grow the condom market.
(India CSR Network)
