Gender equality: Collective platform to help inclusion of women

Regional conference on South Asian women kicks off in capital

ISLAMABAD: A regional alliance for female community leaders would help pave way for a South Asia which would be more inclusive for women.

This was the hope expressed by speakers at South Asian regional conference in Islamabad on Tuesday as they discussed ways and means for a collective platform to raise voice for inclusion of women community leaders in decision making bodies which would help achieve the sustainable development goals especially in regard with women rights.

The delegates were speaking at the inaugural session of a two-day Regional Conference on South Asian Women Alliance of Community Leaders at a local hotel in Islamabad which was attended by female community leaders from all eight South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) member states, civil society representatives, relevant senior officials and diplomats.

Khawar Mumtaz, the chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) Pakistan, highlighted the importance of the alliance.

“It’s a much needed platform for women from South Asian region as we share a lot of commonalities,” Mumtaz remarked, adding that through such an initiative, they would be able to turn their dream of gender equality into reality.

She hoped that the alliance would take forward the agenda of a women-inclusive South Asia in a vibrant manner while terming it as a major milestone for women movements across the region.

Chandni Joshi, a leading women rights activist from Nepal, said that this alliance would pave way for raising the voice of women in the region who have contributed in different fields of life.

“The women of South Asia resolve that the struggle for women rights is entering a decisive phase as women are together for a collective good which will result in better future for our generations,” she remarked.

Dunya Maumoon, the Minister of State for Health of Maldives, said that this is a time to celebrate their achievements.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 18^th, 2017.