Islamabad, March 8; While Asia and the Pacific can take pride in the region’s vibrant economic transformation in recent decades, this has not translated into progress on gender equality and women have not benefitted from this progression.
Discrimination and neglect are threatening women’s survival in the Asia-Pacific region, where women suffer from some of the world’s lowest rates of political representation, employment and property ownership. Their lack of participation is also depressing economic growth.Those were some of the findings of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s 2010 Asia-Pacific Human Development Report: Power Voice and Rights: A Turning Point for Gender Equality in Asia and the Pacific’ launched today at a local hotel in Islamabad.
“Achieving gender equality promotes human development— not only for women, but for whole societies, and is central to achieving the Millennium Development Goals” said Mr. Toshihiro Tanaka, Country Director, UNDP welcoming the guests.
The Report focuses on three key areas —economic power, political decision-making and legal rights ― to analyze what holds women back, and how policies and attitudes can be changed to foster a climb toward gender equality. Asia, the Report asserts, is standing at a cross-road and by putting the right policies in place now, countries in the region can achieve positive change.
Speaking on the occasion the chief guest Begum Shahnaz Wazir Ali, Special Assistant to Primie Minister on Social Sector said that, “The government is fully committed to address gender gaps and create enabling legal environment. Signing of Protection Against Harassment of Women Bill, 2010 is one example of our initiatives in this direction.”
The report chronicles that in Pakistan women are poorly represented in critical decision-making positions that are central to translating laws and policies into practice. Women’s participation in labour force is less than 20.8 % of the female population and the female unemployment rate is 8.4% of the female labour force. In parliamentary representation, in 2009 only 4 % of ministerial positions were held by women while the seats in parliament were 21.1% of the total. Although the net primary school enrollment for girls is 57.3% the secondary school enrollment is 25.8% with tertiary enrollment as low as 4.2%.
The Report recommended reforming constitutions, training judicial and law enforcement personnel in gender-sensitive practices and progressively interpreting religious principles ―which recognize the equal value of all human beings. Political quotas to increase women’s political participation, with sanctions for non-compliance, could be necessary. More women should also be enfranchised into party politics; and relied upon as brokers of peace in times of emergency.
The launch was attended by development practitioners, civil society representatives, donors and media.
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For further information and media assistance, please contact,
Mehreen Saeed, Communication Analyst, Strategic Management Unit, UNDP Pakistan
UN House No. 12, Street 17, F-7/2 Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: +92-51-8255650 or Email:
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Website: http://www.undp.org.pk
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