Islamabad: On Wednesday, 8 March, the British High Commission Islamabad commemorated the International Women’s Day by celebrating the UK’s support to women and girls in Pakistan, with an affirmation to increase digital access for women. Earlier in the week, similar events were held at the British Deputy High Commission, Karachi and the British High Commission office in Lahore.
UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in London marked this day by launching its first women and gender strategy. This new approach puts women and girls, in all their diversity, at the heart of everything FCDO does, using its diplomatic and development capabilities to improve lives, embolden and amplify women’s organisations, and stand up to those intent on holding back women and girls.
Chargé d’affaires, Andrew Dalgleish, while speaking at the reception held at the High Commissioner’s residence said:
“Women and girls are at the heart of everything we do here in Pakistan and globally. The International Women’s Day is a reminder to reiterate this commitment. The UK will do everything it can to ensure all girls and women, in all their diversity, have the freedoms and capability to fulfil their potential and dreams in Pakistan and everywhere else through education, empowerment, and protection”.
Pakistan Minister of Climate Change, Sherry Rehman, the UK’s Trade Envoy for Pakistan, Mark Eastwood (MP), and Maheen Rahman, Chief Executive officer of Infrazamin also spoke at the occasion and emphasised on ending gender gap in digital access.
International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated annually on 8 March to focus on the achievements of women all around the world: to look back on past accomplishments; and forward, at the opportunities which await future generations of women. It is also a day to reaffirm the cause of equal opportunities for women; and to tackling discrimination and violence against women in all its forms. IWD theme for 2020 is: “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”.
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On the International Women’s Day 2023, the UK’s Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly launched the new Women and Girls Strategy of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
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The new strategy aims to tackle increasing threats to gender equality from climate change, humanitarian crises, conflicts such as the war in Ukraine, and recent attempts to roll back women’s rights, including in countries like Iran and Afghanistan.
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FCDO will support grassroots women’s rights organisations, and funding for a Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights programme that will support an estimated 10 million women.
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The strategy puts a continued focus on educating girls, empowering women and girls, championing their health and rights and ending gender-based violence – the challenges the UK believes are most acute.
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Reaching up to 10.4 million women, the programme will receive up to £200 million and is expected to prevent up to 30,600 maternal deaths, 3.4 million unsafe abortions and 9.5 million unintended pregnancies.
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UK’s support for Pakistan: The UK has directly supported 2.1 million girls to gain a decent education between 2015 and 2021. Since 2011, indirectly, UK aid has helped over 11.6m children in primary school, of which 5.5m are girls; and over 5.9m children in secondary school, of which 2.5m are girls.
