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Peshawar, February 18, 2020 (PPI-OT):The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is striving to improve the implementation of its Women Empowerment Policy, which was developed and approved in 2017 for creating an inclusive and enabling environment for the women of KP. The policy has identified social, economic, political and legal empowerment including access to justice as key areas for the provincial government to work on for enhancing the role of women in society. The measures taken by the government will contribute towards ending gender disparities in the province and help achieve the targets set out in the Sustainable Development Goals.
“KP’s Women Empowerment Policy substantiates the government’s strong commitment towards dealing with challenges that hinder women’s empowerment,” said Ms. Rukhshanda Naz on behalf of Social Welfare, Special Education and Women Empowerment Department (SWWED) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while addressing a consultative workshop on the implementation framework of the WEP 2017, jointly arranged by the SWWED and UN Women Pakistan.
The Consultative Workshop was organized as an activity under the Aawaz II Joint Programme funded by the Department for International Development (DFID). Representatives from relevant provincial government departments, civil society and other stakeholders with a significant number of women participated in the session which had the aim to accelerate implementation of the WEP 2017.
Ms. Rukhshanda acknowledged and appreciated UN Women for its invaluable contribution and support in developing the province’s first Women Empowerment Policy and reiterated the government’s commitment to implement the policy effectively.
“Knowing the importance of women empowerment and understanding the responsibility of the state, the department of Social Welfare will provide monitoring and reporting support to measure progress on the implementation of the policy through both government and donor funded projects implemented in the province,” the Ombudsperson concluded.
On behalf of the Gender Mainstreaming Steering Committee (GMSC) constituted for ensuring the implementation of the Women Empowerment Policy, Ms. Sajida Hanif, member of GMSC remarked that the provincial government and the SWWED are fully committed with a strong resolve to cooperate with and support government departments at every level so that together they could effectively contribute to advancing the gender equality and women empowerment agenda in the province.
Ms. Zainab Qaisar Khan, Head of UN Women Provincial Office Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, further emphasized the importance of the policy for the women of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “UN Women is determined to eliminate all forms of discrimination and violence against women, and the effective implementation of this policy will contribute significantly towards this goal. UN Women will continue to support the government’s efforts in enhancing the participation of women in social and economic empowerment opportunities.”
For more information, contact:
National Information Officer
United Nations Information Centre (UNIC)
Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: +92-51-8355720
Cell: +92-300-8553790
Email: ishrat.rizvi@unic.org