UNDP holds consultation on Closing Pakistan’s Gender Gap

LAHORE : The Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Punjab Women Development Department, Lahore College for Women University and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pakistan on Wednesday held a provincial consultation on Closing Pakistan’s Gender Gap through Economic Empowerment and Financial Inclusion of Women in Formal & Informal Economies (SMEs).

According to a press release issued here, UNDP Assistant Resident Representative (ARR), Ammara Durrani said, ‘We, at UNDP, are proud to be the champion for the cause of gender equality in Pakistan.

Together with our partners, we target gender parity stressors with strategic policy and structural interventions and aim to transform women’s livelihoods through financial and economic mentorship.

We envision broadening their access to digital tools, finance and capital, advocating for gender-responsive budgeting, and positioning women as change agents,’ Ammara Durrani said, ‘The year 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the historic Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action1 - the most transformative framework for achieving women’s rights.

This year’s IWD 2025 theme is ‘For ALL Women and Girls: Rights, Equality,

Empowerment’, highlighting the need for inclusion and immediate action to break down systemic barriers that hold back progress for women and girls globally.’

It is especially urgent to address and actively work towards as Pakistan ranked 145th out of 146 countries in the 2024 Global Gender Gap Report2, released by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

‘A key driver of gender parity is increasing women’s participation in the workforce and the formal and informal economy.

This is especially crucial for countries like Pakistan, where women comprise over 48% of the population.