ISLAMABAD, Dec 14 (APP):The participants at a two-day International Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) workshop kicked off here on Saturday gathered to discuss reshaping legislative frameworks for promoting gender equality and gender inclusiveness.
The workshop, titled “Advancing Gender Equality in Legislation: A Workshop on Gender-Sensitive Legislative Drafting” commenced at the Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Services (PIPS), under the auspices of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (WPC) of the National Assembly of Pakistan.
The workshop was aimed at capacity building of the parliamentarians for ensuring gender-sensitive legislation and to enhance the implementation, monitoring and evaluation frameworks at every tier of the government.
This international workshop of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) was a global acknowledgment and recognition of Pakistan’s firm commitment towards promoting gender equality and is indeed a landmark effort to reshape legislative frameworks to promote gender equality and gender-inclusiveness.
Speaking on the occasion, Chairperson of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) Zainab Gimba, said that whole world has acknowledged the best efforts of the incumbent regime of Pakistan for reshaping the legislative frameworks to promote gender equality and gender inclusiveness.
She underlined that this conference is a testament to the power of collective action as with collective efforts we can move mountains, break barriers, and create a legacy of equality and justice for generations to come.
Ms Gimba said that this was a very pleasant moment for me as seeing women representatives from rest of the country here and participating in pursuing the best legislation.
She also appreciated the best efforts of Pakistan for taking various steps by the government for empowering the women segment of the society, especially financial assistance and offering loans for small businesses at local level.
Addressing the participants, Secretary WPC/MNA Dr. Shahida Rehmani also outlined the significant accomplishments of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (WPC) and the women parliamentarians including spearheading critical pro-women legislation, including the Protection Against Harassment at the Workplace Act and anti-acid throwing laws, setting a benchmark for gender-sensitive legal frameworks.
She informed about the advocacy efforts of WPC for increased representation of women in law enforcement, particularly in the police force, and the introduction of electoral reforms with a gender perspective, along with the humanitarian assistance provided to flood victims and survivors of terrorism and violence.
This prestigious event convened experts, policymakers and legislators from Commonwealth Parliamentarians to foster dialogue and collaboration on embedding gender equity into legislative processes.
The participants represented diverse nations, international organizations, and advocacy groups. The workshop explored global best practices in gender-sensitive legislative drafting and addressed pressing issues such as removing systemic biases in existing laws, promoting women’s representation, and ensuring that new legislation meets the needs of all genders.
The event featured renowned international speakers and panellists, making it a unique platform for exchanging innovative ideas and fostering cross-border partnerships. This international gathering underscores Pakistan’s commitment to championing gender equality on the global stage.
Earlier in his welcoming remarks, Executive Director (PIPS) Muhammad Rashid Mafzool Zaka and Secretary WPC Dr Shahida Rehmani extended a warm welcome to the honourable delegates from Maldives and Sri Lanka, participants from the federal and provincial parliaments of Pakistan and the chief guest, Ms. Zainab Gimba, Chairperson of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP).
A two-day International Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) workshop’s session-II held titled “Best Practices from the Region” commenced at the Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Services (PIPS), under the auspices of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (WPC) of the National Assembly of Pakistan.
The session was moderated by Director General (DG) Parliamentary Development Programme & Coordination PIPS, Samer Awais and the esteemed panel comprises MNA Dr. Nafisa Shah, MP Asma Rasheed (People’s Majlis of the Maldives) and MP Chamindranee Kiriella (Sri Lanka).
The session included presentation from all the participant countries, including Maldives and Sri Lanka, to give the participants of the workshop an overview of the overall legislative landscape on supporting gender inclusion in which the most relevant gender-inclusive legislation implementation frameworks was discussed.
The Secretary Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (WPC), MNA Dr. Shahida Rehmani along with the NA Secretariat, extended a warm welcome to the chairperson Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) Zainab Gimba on her arrival at the Int’l workshop session-I, titled “Advancing Gender Equality in Legislation: A Workshop on Gender-Sensitive Legislative Drafting”, organized under the auspices of WPC of the National Assembly.
The chief guest of the two-day International workshop, Zainab Gimba felicitated Secretary WPC/MNA Dr. Shahida Rehmani on hosting this ground-breaking international workshop of CWP in Pakistan for the first time in history. MNA Shaista Pervaiz was also present on the occasion.
The Session-III, titled “Problem Identification and Gap Analysis in Advancing Gender Equality in Legislation” held and moderated by Additional Secretary Senate Rabeea Anwar.
The distinguished panel comprised MP Lakmali Kanchana Hemachandra (Parliament of Sri Lanka), MP Asma Rasheed (People’s Majlis of the Maldives), Former MNA Yasmeen Rehman (National Assembly of Pakistan), Muhammad Khashih Ur Rehman (Legislative Drafting Expert), & Madiha Latif (Country Director Path Finder).
This interactive session witnessed a detailed discussion among the participants & panelists to identify the barriers & gaps in existing legislation hindering gender equality. The participants and panelists proposed and discussed practical strategies for legislative reforms.
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