United Nations, Jan 16 (IANS): India has contributed one million dollars to the core voluntary budget of UN Women (United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women) for the 2012-13 financial year.

India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Hardeep Singh Puri, handed over a cheque for the amount to Dr Michele Bachelet, Under Secretary General and Executive Director of UN Women, Tuesday.

This contribution constitutes the third instalment of India's multi-year pledge to provide five million dollars as core predictable funding to UN Women's resources, and takes its existing contribution to $ 3 million to UN Women, so far, according to a media release from India's UN mission.

On this occasion, Puri also reaffirmed India's steadfast commitment to the goals of gender equality, the empowerment of women and gender mainstreaming enshrined in the mandate of UN Women.

India is one of the founding members of the executive board of the UN Women, and is presently serving on the UN Women Executive Board.