Given the economic opportunities and the social changes Pakistan is faced with, the importance of equipping women with the right opportunities and resources through social enterprise is essential if we are to see Pakistan as leading economy in the near future.
This was stated by deputy chairman of the Planning Commission Sartaj Aziz while addressing the launching ceremony of the British Council’s report on ‘Activist to entrepreneur: the role of social enterprise in supporting women’s empowerment in Pakistan’ here on Thursday.
He said entrepreneurship and social enterprise were key to the advancement of the women’s economic empowerment. "By setting up their own businesses, women can become economically independent, build up their assets, and increase their financial and household security," he said.
The deputy chairman of the Planning Commission said it was great opportunity that international organizations such as the British Council and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) were collaborating to stimulate the country's social enterprise and social investment systems, which would take us a step closer to fulfilling national commitments to Sustainable Development Goals, which were designed on three dimensions as economic, social and environmental and recognised that those dimensions were inter-connected.
“Contained in the DNA of social enterprises is the aim of balancing these three dimensions, and we believe that social enterprise, social entrepreneurship and social investment can play a critical role in helping to deliver on this important agenda,” he said.
Sartaj Aziz said Pakistan had one of the largest youth population in the world with 40 per cent of its people being young.
He said according to the latest reports, 8.2 per cent of Pakistani youths were unemployed whereas situation for young women was even worse due to low literacy levels accompanied by fewer employment opportunities.
"Millions of jobs around the world are expected to disappear due to automation so there is a dire need to cultivate a system of self-employment, which not only creates jobs but fuels overall economic activity," he said.
The deputy chairman of the Planning Commission said the first pillar of Vision 2025 was ‘putting the people first’.
"We are heavily investing in growth strategies that ensure inclusive and sustainable economic development. In this regard, the Planning Commission has established the Centre for Social Entrepreneurship in 2015 to promote innovation and enterprise by serving as a specialist agency for the promotion of social entrepreneurship in Pakistan," he said.
Sartaj Aziz said it was also heartening to see the rise of incubators led by dynamic individuals and universities in Pakistan as that was a step in the right direction. He said the private sector would need to invest in Pakistan’s future human resource for their own and society’s benefit.
He said the Planning Commission would continue working with incubators offering a helping hand to Pakistan’s future entrepreneurships.
The deputy chairman of the Planning Commission thanked Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, under-secretary general of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCAP for collaboration with the Planning Commission and the British Council. He said the collaboration would help in providing leadership, knowledge and the resources to female entrepreneurships.
