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Are gender reforms effective in Quetta?

The policy dialogue on gender mainstreaming organised by the Citizen Commission for Human Development is taking place in Quetta today where Zahoor Ahmad Buledi Minister, Gwadar Dev Authority & Balochistan Coastal Dev Authority will talk about women empowerment programmes in Balochistan. Dr. Shama Ishaq, Former Member of Balochistan Assembly will talk about opportunities of empowerment for women in Balochistan.

G. M. Marri, Ex Chief Economist, Noor-ul-Amin Mengal, AS Finance, Abdul Saboor, Chairman Gender Studies Depart. U/o Balochistan, Mukhtiar Chalagri, SPO, Noor-ul Haq Baloch, AS Education, and Ms. Shaheena, D.S. WDD, GoB are invited to briefly reflect on Gender Reform specifically related to policies and institutional restructuring (need & prospects) in Balochistan based on their experience and knowledge.

Prominent personalities of Balochistan including Dr Abdul Hayee Baloch, Ms. Fouzia Shaheen, Ms. Yasmeen Lehri, Dr. Ijaz Jaffar, PPHI and Saima Haroon, Aurat Foundation Dr Ishaq Baloch will share their views on women in public sector and politics in the province.

Gender Reform Action Plan (GRAP) was conceived and instituted to operationalize and match State’s Constitutional guarantees and fulfill inter/national commitments for the promotion of gender equality in Pakistan. Prepared in February 2000, it was launched in August 2002 with Asian Development Bank (ADB) support under Technical Assistance.

GRAP contained two components e.g., i) formulation of a federal and four provincial GRAP/s; and ii) capacity building of Ministry of Women Development (MoWD) and four provincial Women Development Departments (WDD) to initiate gender reforms by a) establishment of institutional reform cells in MoWD and each WDD; and by b) training staff of the MoWD, the WDDs and other strategic ministries/ departments.

The overall goal of the GRAP is “to bring about such changes in the structure and process of the government that it promotes equity among men and women, and to enable it to deliver on the rights and entitlements of women”.

To realize this goal, the GRAP envisaged a three pronged strategy of gender mainstreaming, entailing that: a) women could participate as decision makers in the public sphere and their concerns could be addressed effectively; b) policies are developed on the basis of gender analysis and sex disaggregated data; and c) delivery of government services are equitable.

CCHD has planned to convene the policy dialogue in Lahore, Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar and Islamabad, on May 19, 21, 24, 26 and 27, respectively; with a view to garner insights on how to move forward with renewed commitment, zeal and clarity.

Source: The News

Date:5/24/2010