Shehbaz Sharif Launches Gender Parity Report on Women’s Day

On Saturday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirming his commitment to gender equality said women’s empowerment could only be achieved by providing them an equal access to education, skill development and employment opportunities.

“It’s our mission and an unwavering commitment to ensure emancipation of the country’s female population,” he said in his address here at an event of International Women’s Day, marked globally on 8th March to celebrate the achievements of women and to make a call for their rights.

Prominent women from diverse fields including cabinet members, legislators, entrepreneurs and activists joined the event at the Prime Minister’s House, which was organised by Ministry of Human Rights and the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) in collaboration with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The prime minister, on the occasion, launched the capital’s first-ever Gender Parity Report prepared by NCSW and UNFPA, which identifies challenges and recommends solutions in key areas such as education, health, governance, political representation and justice.
PM Sharif said his government would collaborate with provinces for a collective action to promote women’s integration in programmes contributing to national economy.

He announced to establish a Working Women’s Endowment Fund in a bid to support working women and help them compete with the contemporary challenges.
He termed the PM’s Women Empowerment Package a “revolutionary step in eliminating discrimination against women” in areas of employment and for making special provisions to provide them facilities at par with men.

“Our fifty percent women population can be turned into a productive workforce if given a level-playing field,” he said.
To facilitate working women, he highlighted that daycare centres were set up across public and private departments in Islamabad, with a plan to further expand the scope of facilities.
The prime minister regretted that a large number of highly-qualified women in the country quit professional careers in their struggle to balance work and families, resulting in a huge loss of skilled human resource.

“My message to the educated [women] segment is to come forward and join hospitals, banks and other professions of their expertise in order to positively contribute towards national economy,” he said.