Reema Nanavaty 

Nanavaty has been working with self-employed informal women workers since 1984 when she joined the Self-Employed Women’s Association, the largest union of informal sector workers. In 1999, she was elected as SEWA’s General Secretary. Her key focus has been to provide full employment & self-reliance to the 1.7 million members of SEWA, where she oversees 4813 self-help groups, 160 co-operatives and 15 economic federations across India and in 7 South Asian countries.  She also heads the ICT cell of SEWA, developing custom-designed mobile apps for women farmers and establishing linkages with online e-retailing platform to provide a broad global market access to the members of SEWA.   She is currently member of the Advisory Council on Gender of the World Bank Group. She was also invited as a member of International Labor Organization’s High Level Global Commission on Future of Work. She was the only commissioner representing the informal sector workers, self-employed workers and the rural workers union in the entire commission. She has also been invited as a member of the UN High-level Dialogue`s Technical Working Group on Energy Action to Advance Other SDGs.   In 2013, she received the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India for her distinguished contribution in the area of Social Services.