Statement by H.E Mr. Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan At the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Gender Equality and Women Empowerment
(New York, 27 September 2015)

We thank you, President Xi Jinping, and UN Women for convening today’s Global Leaders’ Meeting on Gender Equality and Women Empowerment.

The presence of world leaders here is a testimony to our continued and steadfast commitment to the goals and objectives of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which was a watershed in the long struggle to secure for women, equal rights and status in society.

We welcome the inclusion of a standalone goal on gender equality and women empowerment in the Post-2015 Development Agenda. The challenge now is to invest sufficient resources and to adopt appropriate policies to ensure its full and effective realization.

Our adherence to the ideals of empowering women and protecting their rights stems from our faith, our constitution and the vision of our founding fathers. As Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah said: “No nation can rise to the height of glory unless women are side by side with men”.

Recognizing that women and girls hold the key to reaping the demographic dividend, we have introduced many initiatives over the years, including the following:

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

All countries stand to benefit from empowerment of women. We are therefore determined to ensure a more central role for women in the political, economic and other spheres of our national life.

In Pakistan, we have more girls pursuing higher education and professional careers today than ever before. Women are joining public and private sectors in increasing numbers. At the tertiary level, girls have consistently achieved higher levels of performance as compared to boys. But a lot more needs to be done.

We are working towards creating an enabling environment that will provide our women and girls even greater access to education, economic resources, skills development and employment opportunities.

We will build and strengthen institutions that are more responsive to women’s needs, help remove remaining obstacles to their economic empowerment, and provide them a world free of violence. This requires an attitudinal shift and a long-term commitment to making women equal partners in national and global progress and prosperity.

We will provide the leadership to realize this vision on which hinges the future of our nation.

I thank you.