Fauzia Viqar honoured as a champion for women’s rights at CAREC Awards

TBILISI, Georgia: Fauzia Viqar, a prominent Pakistani human rights activist with a focus on women’s rights, was honoured at the inaugural CAREC Award for Advancing Gender Equality held in Tbilisi, Georgia. The ceremony, a landmark event brought together remarkable individuals and organisations from ten member countries of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Programme.

Viqar, recognised for her advocacy for women’s rights and empowerment, stood among the distinguished awardees at the 22nd CAREC Ministerial Conference. Her achievements and commitment were acknowledged alongside ten other honourees for their outstanding contributions to promoting gender equality across diverse sectors. While serving as the first chairperson of the Punjab Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW) from 2014 to 2019, Viqar’s spearheaded a gender management information system, published annual reports on gender parity, and launched a helpline enabling women to report incidents of abuse. In March 2023, she was appointed as the Federal Ombudsperson for Protection against Harassment at Workplace in 2023.

The CAREC Awards ceremony not only celebrated Viqar’s outstanding achievements but also highlighted the urgent need to continue championing gender equality. The event emphasized collective efforts to create a more inclusive, equitable, and just society.