USAID holds graduation ceremony for 17 female Pakistani students

ISLAMABAD: US Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Reed Aeschliman presided over a graduation ceremony for 17 female Pakistani university students who successfully completed the U.S.-Pakistan Women’s Council (USPWC) Future of Women in Energy Scholar’s pilot programme.

The event took place at the US Embassy here with Mr Reed saying the inaugural four-week programme encouraged women to consider careers in the energy sector and advanced the role women play in Pakistan.

According to him, all participants are female Pakistani undergraduate students pursuing degrees in the sciences. "The programme is a product of a US commitment to advance women’s educational and economic participation in Pakistan’s energy sector at the US-Pakistan Energy Dialogue held in September 2021," he said.

Reed said the US celebrated 75 years of relations with Pakistan this year, so today’s milestone showed the scope of that amazing partnership. He said the programme supported women’s empowerment, education, and job opportunities and showed the depth and breadth of our mutual commitment and the opportunities for further cooperation.

According to him, the programme, a cooperative effort between USPWC, US Mission Pakistan, the US Department of State, the U.S. Department of Energy, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Texas A&M University, and Texas A&M University at Qatar, kicked off with a two-week study programme at Texas A&M University’s campus in Qatar on June 3.

The scholars learned about energy topics such as energy infrastructure, energy security, and the role of women in the energy sector, and developed independent projects on different facets of the energy economy. The students returned to Pakistan for a two-week career immersion program in Islamabad and Lahore, visiting public and private sector companies and agencies involved in Pakistan’s energy sector. They developed a practical understanding of the multifaceted challenges faced by Pakistan's energy sector.

Many Pakistani and international companies and public-sector employers keen to promote women’s participation in the energy sector also contributed to the program. "The US-Pakistan Women’s Council is a public-private partnership that seeks to increase women’s economic participation in Pakistan by catalyzing commitments from the private sector, civil society, and government leaders in both countries to advance women’s economic empowerment in Pakistan," he said.