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Mr. Chairman,
Pakistan aligns itself with the statement made earlier by the distinguished representative of Argentine on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.
A series of comprehensive reports of the Secretary General reflect on the state of progress on various aspects of advancement of women, as well as further actions required at various levels and across geographical and development divides for the empowerment of women in accordance with the internationally agreed standards. It is a reality that women continue to be amongst the most marginalized groups in our societies. As rightly pointed out by the Special Rapporteur, States must bear in mind that discrimination affects women in different ways depending on how they are positioned within the social, economic and cultural hierarchies that prohibit or further compromise certain women’s ability to enjoy universal human rights.
Mr. Chairman,
We are pleased that UN Women has taken off on a sound basis. Its Strategic Plan contains important and practical proposals towards achieving the goal of advancement and empowerment of women at all levels. As a member of the Executive Board of UN Women Pakistan has worked constructively towards shaping this Strategic Plan, which we hope would be able to make the desired impact in the lives of women around the world. We would continue to extend our full support to help UN Women realize its aims and objectives.
Mr. Chairman,
Pakistan’s Constitution guarantees equal rights for all its citizens without any discrimination on the basis of cast, colour, sex, or race. It further guarantees full participation of women in all spheres of national life. We remain committed to the agenda of empowering women in all walks of life.
In accordance with our national and international obligations, successive governments in Pakistan have taken steps to promote the rights of women in economic, social, political and cultural fields. Concrete steps have been taken to eliminate discrimination from public and private sectors, ensuring progressive empowerment of women. Today, women in Pakistan proudly participate in every facet of life, from home care to medical care, agriculture to industry, business to armed forces and from policy making to law making.
A large number of women are members of the National and Provincial legislatures. There are 76 women legislators in the 342 member National Assembly. The Speaker of the National Assembly is a woman, so are important members of the Federal Cabinet including the Minster for Information and the Foreign Minister who also led Pakistan delegation to this Session of the General Assembly. At the local bodies’ level, presence of over 28000 women councillors bears testimony to the active and vibrant role of women in governance at grass roots level. The UN system has also benefitted from the work and experience of Pakistani women in different capacities, including three serving UN Special Procedures.
Pakistan is pursuing the agenda for women empowerment under a four pronged strategy, which includes: a) reducing feminization of poverty; b) promoting gender equality; c) ending violence against women; and d) introducing necessary legislation to protect and empower women. Our National Plan of Action is based on our international obligations deriving from CEDAW, Beijing Platform for Action and observations made by the CEDAW Committee.
The National Commission on Status of Women was established in 2000, to examine the relevance and efficacy of all laws, policies, programmes and measures for women empowerment and gender equality. Presently, the Commission works with the Ministry of Human Rights.
We have adopted laws to protect the rights of women, which include the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2010 on sexual harassment and Protection against Harassment at Workplace Act 2010 which covers both public and private sectors.
Another initiative taken for economic empowerment of women is the innovative scheme of Benazir Income Support Programme, which provides cash grants to female head of poor households. It protects families from the negative effects of inflation and improves their decision making role by allowing them to spend the grant according to their priorities. Another initiative is a Programme for the grant of State Land to poor women tenant farmers in the rural areas.
The National Commission for Human Development has helped gain functional literacy to over 2 million women in rural areas, which has significantly contributed to empowerment of these women. Government of Pakistan is also committed towards implementation of gender responsive budgeting to promote policies and resource allocations through gender perspective.
Efforts of the government in promoting women’s rights are supported and complemented by an independent judiciary, a free press, a vibrant civil society and a growing private sector, providing opportunities, raising awareness and addressing violations.
Mr. Chairman,
Beijing Platform remains the most comprehensive global policy framework for the full realization of women’s human rights. However, its 15 year review conducted last year has demonstrated that despite progress in some areas, deficiencies remain in countries across all 12 critical areas of concern of the Platform. The review also drew attention towards persistent gaps in implementation of the Platform that negatively affect progress in achieving the MDGs. With only four years left in 2015, we need to expedite efforts on the gender dimensions of all the MDGs to ensure their timely implementation.
In this regard sustained international cooperation and global partnerships are of vital importance. Financial resources must be mobilized, through domestic and international channels, across all social sectors to ensure progress. The international community should honour its commitments to Official Development Assistance and do more for debt relief and opening of markets to give opportunities particularly to women entrepreneurs. Increased development assistance in areas such as women education, health and job creation is vital towards eliminating gender disparities.
We must also focus attention on women who are forced to suffer the consequences of armed conflicts and situations of foreign occupation. Their plight has been considered in many international forums over the years, but perpetrators of these crimes against humanity continue to enjoy immunity including under domestic Security Laws. Situation of these women facing double discrimination should not be forgotten and must be dealt by all relevant actors of the UN system.
Let me conclude with our firm conviction that we have to ensure the empowerment of women in all situations, cultures and environments to achieve a more caring, tolerant, just and peaceful world for all.
Thank you.