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Madam President,
We are grateful to the President of the Board and the Executive Director of UN-Women for their statements.
At the outset, I would like to express my delegation’s support to the Secretary-General’s recommendation to extend the tenure of UN-Women Executive Director for an additional four years. We are confident that her competence, devotion and commitment to UN-Women will give further impetus to gender equality across the UN-System.
Madam President,
My country’s founding father Muhammad Ali Jinnah, famously said “No struggle can ever succeed without women participating side by side with men. There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is great competition and rivalry between the two. Then there is a third power, stronger than both, that is of women”.
His words have even greater resonance for our world today.
Madam President,
Women can and do play a pivotal role in achieving sustainable development. Achieving gender equality and empowerment of women and girls is at the heart of the new development agenda. Goal 5 of the 2030 agenda not only outlines critical targets in this regard but also underscores its importance as an overarching objective and a force multiplier for achieving a number of other SDGs, including poverty eradication, health, education and inclusive development.
The new Strategic Plan of UN-Women should focus on meeting these targets, both at Headquarters and across the world.
Madam President,
Over the years, women have demonstrated, time and again, the required skills and capacities for mediation, peacebuilding and leadership. These skills and abilities make them particularly suited to becoming Special Envoys, Special Representatives and Resident Coordinators. Yet the current share of women in leadership roles at the UN remains abysmally low. As of April 2017, there were only 14 women USGs and 22 ASGs out of a total of 66 and 83 respectively.
We appreciate the Secretary-General’s commitment to achieving gender parity at senior levels by 2021. The role and recommendations of the UN Gender Parity Task Force will be critical to ensuring equal representation of women at all levels of the UN, in accordance with Article 101 of the UN charter, which calls for widest geographical representation in staff in the UN system.
Madam President,
Gender equality and women’s empowerment remain among my country’s top priorities. Pakistan’s adherence to the ideals of empowering women and protecting their rights stems from our faith, our Constitution and the vision of our founding fathers.
Pakistan’s commitment, role and contribution to achieving gender parity are evident from our record. Our women have served with great distinction as the country’s Prime Minister ( the first to be elected by any Muslim country), Speakers of the national and provincial legislatures, Ministers, Ambassadors, Federal Secretaries and in all other walks of life. 20% of the Parliamentary membership are women, and 33% of local government officials. At the same time, their ratio is increasing every year in the armed forces and the civil service.
Madam President,
We are also taking concrete steps to reduce ‘feminization of poverty’. By fostering greater female representation in the workforce, and through non-traditional skill development programmes, the government is trying to enhance the economic status of women. New legislative frameworks have been introduced, both at the federal and the provincial levels, including robust Commissions on the status of Women and Human Rights to provide protection to women in the work environment. Challenges remain of course but we are committed to continue working to achieve a more gender-balanced society.
Madam President,
In conclusion, let me reaffirm Pakistan’s full support for the adoption of the Strategic Plan (2018-2021) of UN-Women, which fully supports the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, while ensuring effective and accelerated implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and its review outcomes.
I thank you, Madam President.