U.S. Ambassador to Islamabad Richard Olson has said his country was working to empower women in Pakistan and Afghanistan to help spur economic development in the two neighbouring countries.
Addressing the closing ceremony of the first annual four-day Afghanistan and Pakistan Women’s Business Conference on Wednesday, Olson said women participation in economic progress is necessary.
“Women’s economic empowerment is vital to the development of both Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the United States is working with both neighbouring countries to expand women’s participation in the economy through entrepreneurship, employment opportunities and education,” he said, according to a news release of the embassy.
The conference was organised by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP), in partnership with USAID, the U.S.-Pakistan Women’s Council, and the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan. It aims to strengthen the competitiveness of Afghan and Pakistani businesswomen.
Olson reiterated that the U.S. Trade and Investment Framework Agreement Memorandum of Understanding on Women’s Economic Empowerment, signed with the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan, will enable both the countries to increase cross-border trade and investment and ensure more women’s participation in the economy.
The Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chambers of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI) led a series of discussions with participants covering a wide range of topics including regulatory issues in Afghanistan-Pakistan cross-border trade, business financing, business-to-business networking, and cyber training. Leading business women from Afghanistan and Pakistan came together to discuss legal and regulatory issues important to women-led small and medium enterprises active in international commerce and had the opportunity to network and form cross-border business-to-business relationships, it said.
