China is a leader in women’s rights as it grants equal status to men and women, the 18th Meeting of the Inter-Provincial Ministerial Group (IPMG) suggested here on Thursday afternoon.
The 18th Meeting of the IPMG was hosted by the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), Sindh Commission on the Status of Women (SCSW) and UN Women Pakistan.
Addressing the meeting, Chairperson NCSW Nilofar Bakhtiar lauded China for granting rights to women to excel.
“China is a great example. The women there (in China) are working shoulder to shoulder with men. Women and men have no superiority over each other. The only superiority is hard work,” she maintained.
Bakhtiar stressed that Pakistan needed to strengthen women’s representation and participation across party lines and provincial commissions. “The National Commission on the Status of Women is fully committed and determined to unite and work with the Government and women’s machinery across the country to bring about positive change in the situation of women and girls in Pakistan,” she added.
Nuzhat Shirin, Chairperson Sindh Commission on the Status of Women (SCSW), also took China as an example for the progress of women in her opening remarks. She stated that Sindh had been at the forefront of progressive laws and policies, especially for women. For this purpose, it is vital that the bureaucracy and different departments work for women.
The representatives called for concerted actions towards implementing the provisions in the Constitution of Pakistan and Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), focusing on ensuring women’s voice, visibility and agency through efforts at the national and provincial levels.
All the provincial departments and commissions shared information on the progress achieved during the year 2021 and updated the participants on future plans to enhance coordination and collaboration among the women of the country.
The forum agreed to form a national-level committee to combat violence against women and give a loud and clear message during the upcoming 16 days of the activism campaign.
IPMG is the only inter-provincial coordination forum having the potential and effectiveness for supporting women’s empowerment and gender equality agenda through sharing of experiences, fostering peer learning, and developing strategies to fulfil the country’s national and international commitments.
