Advisor to the Chief Minister Punjab Begum Zakia Shahnawaz has stated that implementation of Women Empowerment Package 2012 was one of the major policy commitments of Punjab government for the uplift of womenfolk in all walks of life.
She was presiding over a one day Conference for International Organizations on “Women Empowerment Package 2012” in Darbar Hall Punjab Civil Secretariat, organized by Women Development Department, here today. While appreciating the holding of conference, Begum Zakia Shahnawaz said that the aim of Empowerment Package 2012 is to bring about changes in the structures and processes of government and transform it into an entity that promotes equity among men and women, and delivers on the rights and entitlements of women. Begum Zakia Shahnawaz stressed that Empowerment Package 2012 envisages essential reforms including policy level transformation to empower women of the Punjab.
Miss Iram Bukhari, Secretary Women Development Department briefed the participants about Women Empowerment Package 2012. She said that the package has two major aspects firstly, to provide ways and means to effectively safeguard women rights and secondly to have far-reaching effects on their socio-economic status by expanding opportunities available to them. She said that Women Empowerment Package focuses on legal, policy and economic reforms for the uplift of women of the province of the Punjab and through this package Punjab government has set its focus on women empowerment. She said that recent notifications of Punjab government are intended to encourage female participation in public sector employment through increased quota from 5 to 15 percent, age relaxation and one additional transfer facility, she added. Miss Iram Bukhari said that the purpose of today’s conference was to sensitize the international organizations regarding Punjab government’s recent initiative for empowerment of women and the main objective of this conference was coordination and liaison with international organizations for implementation of Women Empowerment Package 2012.
Representatives of World Bank, UNDP, UN, HABITAT, UN, AIDS, UNICEF, WHO, WEP, UNFPA, JICA, HBF, Action, Aid, Asian Development Bank, CIDA and IOM appreciated Women Development Department, Punjab for organizing the conference for international organizations. The participants during discussion expressed their expectation that this event would open new avenues for collaboration between Punjab government and international organizations for empowerment of women in the province.