The USAID-supported Gender Equity Programme held a meeting of its National Advisory Forum on Monday, focusing on developing provincial guidelines for the programme to combat gender-based violence across Pakistan.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Shahnaz Wazir Ali is the permanent chairperson of the National Advisory Forum. The meeting was attended by provincial women development ministers including Ghazala Gola from Balochistan, Sitara Ayaz from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Madad Sher from Gilgit Baltistan and Tauqeer Fatima Bhutto from Sindh, Adviser to the Chief Minister from Gilgit Sadia Danish and Senator Neelofar Bakhtiar.
The Gender Equity Programme is a five-year grant making programme being implemented by the Aurat Foundation with the financial assistance of USAID and Pakistan to support, advance and realise women’s rights and empowerment in the country.
The programme will provide almost 400 small, medium and large grants to government departments and institutions, community-based organisations, research institutes, policy think-tanks and groups working for women’s rights and development. The primary purpose of the programme is to support the government’s initiatives, schemes and policies for promoting and ensuring women’s rights, empowerment and advancement.
The National Advisory Forum provides guidance to Gender Equity Programme, aligns the programme with government policies and brainstorm on broader gender equality strategies in the country.
The forum comprises distinguished personalities within the parliament, federal and provincial governments, standing committees, autonomous institutions and civil society representatives, who work towards a better society where women and men are treated as equal citizens without discrimination.
