22nd Inter Provincial Ministerial Group (IPMG) at Serena Hotel, Peshawar from 8th-9th May 2024
National Commission on the Status of Women in Collaboration with UNWomen Hosts 22nd Inter-Provincial Meeting on Women's Rights Pakistan's women, development departments, machineries working across the country for enhancement of the life of women came together for a powerful discussion on achieving #genderequality and #economicdevelopment. The National Commission on the Status of Women, Islamabad hosted a crucial inter-provincial ministerial group meeting in Peshawar. It focused on reviewing and strengthening laws to ensure equal rights and economic opportunities for #women across #Pakistan. Key Highlights: NCSW Chairperson Nilofar Bakhtiar emphasized collaboration and called for a unified voice to champion women's rights . She emphasized we need to strengthen the women of Pakistan economically. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Law Minister Aftab Alam committed to appointing a chairperson for the provincial women's commission and presenting the Child Marriage Restraint Act in the provincial assembly. UN Women Country Representative Lansana Wonneh pledged continued support for Pakistani women's economic advancement and stressed to escalate efforts to develop skills of the women of Pakistan for their financial independence and development. Director General Farah Jamshed of the Judicial Academy Khyber Pakhtunkhwa highlighted the need to address social, cultural, and systemic barriers to gender equality and combat violence against women. Mr. Arshad Rashid chief program Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund recommended that we need to ensure equal access to social services, #education along with modern and up to date skill training, #environment for women's work force participation through policy implementations. Representatives from various Federal and Provincial ministries, commissions on the status of women across Pakistan and women development departments discussed progress made and charted a roadmap for the future, including: On the second day of the 22nd Inter Provincial Ministerial Group (IPMG) in Peshawar. Key stakeholders from various sectors gathered to discuss and strategize on the crucial issues surrounding #womenempowement in #Pakistan. Lansana Wonneh, UN Women Country Representative Opened the session by highlighting the urgent need for civil society, government, and the private sector to support oppressed and deprived women. He reminded us that it's our duty, as stated in the constitution and the Holy Quran, to assist those in disadvantaged positions. He said UN Women launched a comprehensive baseline study focusing on women in distress and strategies to elevate their status. Saman Ahsan, UN Women, Presented findings from the study on women in Pakistan’s prisons and shelters. The study covered six shelters and five prisons, revealing that 70% of the residents had participated in vocational programs. However, many women were not interested in training due to the lost productive years of their youth spent in prison. The study highlights the need for better training, mental health support, and improved linkages with other organizations to enhance economic empowerment. Irfan Aman Yousafzai, Director General, National Vocational & Technical Training Commission KP Shared that over 300,000 women have been trained across Pakistan by NAVTTC. He emphasized the need to reach remote areas in #KPK, where cultural barriers make it challenging for women to work outside their homes. NAVTTC is committed to supporting women in performing economic activities from their homes and is open to ideas for further empowerment. Madam Nilofar Bakhtiar, Chairperson, National Commission on the Status of Women, Islamabad Outlined Several Critical Recommendations: Rakhshanda Naz, Ombudsperson for KP emphasized the importance of pro-women legislation and the need for enhanced roles for women in policy-making and decision-making, particularly in human rights and women’s rights policies. Mashal Yousafzai, Advisor to the CM Spoke on the numerous challenges faced by women in KP, including terrorism and domestic violence. She is committed to empowering women by presenting new laws on child marriage, domestic violence, and women's empowerment, and introducing a dedicated helpline for women in trouble. She highlighted the need to extend basic facilities to the deprived areas of FATA and in her closing remarks pledged to appoint the Chairperson for the provincial commission during the on going month. Shabana Nawaz, Deputy Chief, NCSW in her briefing stated the Prime Minister’s initiatives for women’s development, involving 21 planned initiatives with NCSW playing a key role in many of them. These initiatives are being discussed thoroughly with provinces and federal entities to speed up implementation. Saman Ahsan, NCSW Portfolio Manager at UN Women, Led a session on the "Provincial Updates and Way Forward on National Gender Database Portal (NGDP)." She elaborated on the creation of the NGDP, which aims to gather comprehensive gender statistics and knowledge to support evidence-based gender analysis and legislative support. Aftab Afridi, Database Manager & Focal Person for NGDP at NCSW Introduced the NGDP as a centralized portal for collecting data on women-related indicators. This dynamic platform supports the Government of Pakistan’s reporting on international #gender obligations and provides essential data for legislative, policy, and programmatic recommendations. The day concluded with discussions on upcoming initiatives for the development of women in Pakistan, highlighting the collaborative efforts needed to achieve gender equality. Join us in supporting the cause of women's empowerment! #EmpowerWomen #GenderEquality #WomenInPakistan #NCSW #UNWomen #IPMG2024 #WomensRights #EconomicEmpowerment #LegalRights #ChildMarriageRestraint #WomenLeadership #NilofarBakhtiar #NationalCommissionOnTheStatusOfWomen Recommendations: .jpg)
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