Pakistan calls for global action to free women from poverty, violence

Pakistan has called on the global community to take immediate action to guarantee women and girls equal rights and opportunities, stressing the need to end poverty, violence, and discrimination against them. 

Addressing the UN General Assembly in New York on the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Monday that the commemoration was a call to renew the historic pledges made in Beijing three decades ago with bold and measurable action.

Dar highlighted Pakistan’s progress on gender equality, pointing out that women hold senior roles in politics, the judiciary, civil service, law enforcement, and the armed forces.

He noted Pakistan’s record of electing the first female prime minister in the Muslim world and the recent election of the first woman chief minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz.

He further cited measures such as gender-based violence courts, women's police stations, commissions on the status of women, and progressive laws against violence and discrimination.

Social programmes, including the Benazir Income Support Programme and the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme, were credited with enabling women to access finance, escape poverty, and build entrepreneurial ventures.

While acknowledging advances, the deputy prime minister stressed that progress across the world remained uneven.

He called for scaled-up financing through national budgets, international cooperation, and innovative partnerships to translate commitments into meaningful change.

Reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to women’s rights, Dar described the Beijing Declaration as the boldest global compact for gender equality.

He urged the international community to act with urgency and solidarity to secure a future where every woman and girl lives with dignity and equal opportunity.