Islamabad: The second meeting of the Sub-Committee on Improving Pakistan’s Gender Index was chaired by MNA Barrister Aqeel Malik, Secretary Ministry of Human Rights, along with members from provincial commissions on the status of women, women development, planning, and development departments.
Deputy Chief, National Commission on the Status of Women, Shabana Nawaz, presented a five-year plan to enhance data collection and dissemination for the gender index. The plan includes a separate action plan for resource improvement, departmental development, and uniform data collection.
Barrister Aqeel Malik, Chair of the committee, emphasized sharing Punjab’s effective Gender Management System with other provinces to improve data collection and segregation.
Secretary, Ministry of Human Rights, Allah Dino Khawaja, highlighted the importance of commissions on the status of women, noting that only Balochistan has a functional board and chairperson, while others are operating without principal accounting officers for years.
The meeting concluded with agreements to:
- Meet with secretaries of line departments by month-end to discuss improvements in gender data index
- Take unanimous initiatives to enhance Pakistan’s ranking in the Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI)
- NCSW to lead training sessions for gender data managers across Pakistan to ensure synchronisation.
- Prioritize immediate actions for:
- Protecting women’s rights
- Preventing gender-based violence
- Improving representation in education, political, and economic empowerment, and health
The committee is committed to collaborative efforts to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in Pakistan.
