Development remains slow and incomplete if women are not included into the economic mainstream through employment and education.

The statement was made by the Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal while talking at the 19th Inter-Provincial Ministerial Group (IPMG) meeting organized by the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) in collaboration with UN Women, and the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) of the US Department of State, according to a press release received by WealthPK.

According to Ahsan Iqbal, the Planning Commission has created a Gender Unit within the ministry, where all development projects will be developed in accordance with gender responsiveness principles.

The minister claimed that various initiatives aimed at empowering women had been included in vision 2025. Similar actions are being followed during the recovery from the most recent floods.

The planning minister assured the NCSW that he would consider their suggestions and put them into action.

The goals of the 19th IPMG meeting included understanding the data architecture at the national and provincial levels and finalising the data collection methods for the National Gender Data Portal, according to the press release.

“The Global Gender Gap Report indicates that Pakistan has closed the gender gap by 56.4% but still ranks at second lowest from the bottom,” NCSW Chairwoman Nilofar Bakhtiar remarked as she welcomed the attendees. “To create laws, regulations, and quotas that will effect change, it is critical to understand our current reality,” she added.

According to the press release, the NGDP was created in 2021 to gather reliable data and proofs regarding gender statistics from all around Pakistan.

According to Sharmeela Rassool, Country Representative for UN Women Pakistan Country Office, “IPMG is an innovative platform for identifying solutions tailored for Pakistan.” She stressed the significance of reliable data for the growth of the nation and for gender equality. “One illustration of such a solution is the NGDP. Data is crucial because it aids in detecting policy gaps and enables decision-making by officials,” she said.

The press release noted, IPMG was founded in 2009 to improve interprovincial coordination on gender equality and women's empowerment in Pakistan. To enable the sharing of experiences and insights between the national and provincial women's machinery, eighteen sessions have already been held, the press release concluded.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk