‘Five-Year Plan to focus on women’s empowerment’

Islamabad: The forthcoming 12th Five-Year Plan will focus on the women's empowerment, the creation of a conducive social environment, gender mainstreaming in all sectors, and capacity building, said Parliamentary Secretary for Planning Development and Reforms Kanwal Shouzab.

"Only those nations progress which recognise the importance of women and provide equal opportunities to them," she told a women's day conference organised by the Ministry of Planning Development and Reform here.

Kanwal Shouzab said the Pakistani women were facing many problems, including lack of opportunities for education, lack of health facilities, early child marriages, inheritance issues, lower wages than men in jobs, harassment at workplaces, and domestic violence.

The parliamentary secretary said a woman played more than one role in society and thus, contributing to the development of the country in all areas of life be it sports and politics. She called for encouraging and providing an enabling environment for women to help them effectively contribute to the process of nation-building.

Kanwal Shauzab said the government was giving the due importance to the implementation of sustainable development goals which placed gender equality and empowerment of women and girls at the heart of the 2030 Agenda.