Senate Chairman Urges OIC Nations to Act on Women’s Economic Empowerment

Key Takeaways

Chairman Senate, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, urged member states of the OIC to translate commitments into action.
The 9th Ministerial Conference on Women is being held in Islamabad and focuses on socio-economic and political empowerment.
Delegates from 57 OIC member states are discussing ways to improve women's access to education, healthcare, and employment.

Chairman Senate, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, has called upon the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) nations to turn their commitments into concrete actions for women’s economic empowerment. Speaking at a high-level event in Islamabad, Gilani emphasized that this is not only an Islamic obligation but also essential for sustainable development.

The 9th Ministerial Conference on Women, organized by Pakistan under the theme 'Socio-Economic and Political Empowerment of Women in OIC Countries: Challenges and Way Forward,' kicked off on Sunday. The conference aims to address the uneven progress across member states in areas such as education, employment, and political representation.

Around 190 delegates from the 57 OIC member states are participating in the two-day event, which is being hosted by Pakistan for the first time. Federal Minister for Law and Human Rights Azam Nazeer Tarar, who is chairing the conference on behalf of Pakistan, described it as an honour for the country.

The discussions at the conference will focus on expanding women's access to education, healthcare, employment, entrepreneurship, financial services, technology, and digital opportunities. The aim is to strengthen cooperation among member states to improve women’s participation in various sectors.

In his opening remarks, Gilani highlighted that while significant strides have been made, there remains a long way to go. He called on the OIC nations to work together towards achieving gender equality and empowering women economically.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is the world's second-largest intergovernmental organization after the United Nations, comprising member states across four continents. Its Ministerial Conference on Women serves as a platform for discussing policies aimed at advancing women’s socio-economic and political empowerment.

While the conference proceedings are underway, data from the World Economic Forum (WEF) indicate that there is still much work to be done in terms of closing gender gaps in education, employment, and political representation. The OIC hopes to use this forum as a catalyst for tangible progress.