Speakers laud women’s contribution for progress

PESHAWAR: The speakers, including senior government officials, here on Wednesday lauded the contribution of women workers in every sphere of life at an event held in connection with the International Women’s Day.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Ghulam Ali and Chief Secretary Imdadullah Bosal chaired the event organized by the provincial Emergency Operations Centre (EOC).

Secretary Health KP, Attaur Rehman, Additional Secretary Health (Polio) Coordinator EOC, Asif Rahim, Deputy Coordinator EOC Zeeshan Khan, former MPAs Samar Bilour, Rabia Basri, Provincial Team Leads WHO, UNICEF, national and provincial team leads N-Stop, Technical Focal Person EOC, Provincial Ombudsperson, Rakhshanda Naz, Deputy Chief KP Child Protection and Welfare Commission, Muhammad Ejaz Khan, President Public Health Association KP Chapter, Dr Saima Abid and female health workers from Community Based Vaccination (CBV) programme were present on the occasion.

Governor Ghulam Ali thanked the organizers for arranging the event to mark International Women’s Day to honour the contributions of women to society.

He said that it was a day to reflect on the struggles and triumphs of women throughout history and to renew our commitment to creating an equitable society for all.

“As Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, I am proud to say that our province is making significant strides towards ensuring a safe and secure environment for all particularly women. We have taken steps to empower women and girls in all aspects of their lives. We have also made strides in improving women’s access to healthcare,” he said.

He said, “We have taken steps to ensure that women have a voice in our political system and our government has reserved seats for women in the local and provincial government.”

He said, “We have worked to increase the participation of women in political parties to ensure that women’s voices are heard and that their perspectives are considered during policymaking.”

Chief Secretary Imdadullah Bosal said that the government appreciated and acknowledged the role of women in every sector of life and added that investing in women’s education, health and economic empowerment can lead to improvement in socioeconomic indices and subsequently develop a stronger nation.

He said that the government was working towards enhancing investment in these areas to strengthen the women’s workforce and improve their skills and capabilities.

“My sincere thanks to our woman workers who have been working to protect the children of Pakistan for decades,” he said, adding that women’s contributions have been critical to the progress made in polio eradication in Pakistan.

Earlier, the panel members acknowledged that women were often the primary caregivers and decision-makers when it came to their children’s health.