Sania highlights Pakistan’s gender-inclusive response to COVID-19

ISLAMABAD: The PM’s Special Assistant on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Dr. Sania Nishtar Wednesday joined a virtual ministerial roundtable as part of an international expert panel to share experiences in ensuring a gender-inclusive response to the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery measures.

The roundtable discussion, which was hosted by the Executive Director of UN Women Phumzle Mlambo Ngcuka, combined ideas, responses and experiences around the gendered impacts of the pandemic. The panel collectively reiterated that the COVID-19 pandemic offers an opportunity to address key challenges to achieving gender equality and build back better in post-COVID-19 times.

The goal of the discussion was to foster cross-regional knowledge exchange to realize progress on SDG 5 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic with a specific focus on women’s leadership and participation in the COVID-19 response and gender inclusive packages.

Speaking on ‘Response and Recovery,’ Dr. Sania outlined details about early disease decline in Pakistan, as well as support for poorest families whose lives were adversely affected by COVID-19.