By Samia Khalid ISLAMABAD, March 22 (INP-WealthPK): In pursuance of the three-way growth strategy and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Pakistan has launched the Gender Policy Framework to ensure women’s equal participation in economic activity, reports WealthPK. The launch of the gender policy framework by the ministry of planning, development and special initiatives coincided with the International Women’s Day, 2022, and is aimed at enabling Pakistan to improve on its gender equality score and create a gender-equal society that is diverse, equitable, inclusive and free of all biases. The initiative was unveiled by planning and development minister Asad Umar. Speaking on the occasion, Planning Commission’s deputy chairman Dr Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan informed the participants that 2022 had been declared as the ‘year of women employees’. He said multiple initiatives were planned to make public sector workplaces conducive for women. In this context, he said the commission had established a Gender Accelerator manned by experts to help mainstream gender in all policies and programmes, according to WealthPK. On this occasion, minister Asad Umar said that the government was committed to overcoming the gender gap and providing equal opportunities to women in all spheres of life. He said governance mechanisms would be instituted to ensure that all commitments were rolled out effectively to empower the women. He noted that female health workers had played a key role in helping the government successfully tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. Speaking at the occasion, Dr Shabnum Sarfraz, a member of the Planning Commission, said that the ministry of planning, development and special initiatives formulated the National Gender Policy Framework after holding consultations with all the stakeholders. She said that the ministry effectively engaged all the relevant institutions, federal and provincial stakeholders, development partners, sectoral and subject experts and youth to deliberate the strategic priorities for closing the gender gap in education, employment and making workplaces conducive for women. She said focus was on promoting the engagement of women in decision making and instituting gender transformative structures. Shabnum Sarfraz said representatives of all provincial planning and development departments had committed themselves to advancing the women's development agenda on behalf of their respective governments. Speaking at the launch of the gender policy framework, federal planning secretary Aziz Uqaili said the centre would grant funds to support the provinces with specific gender-focused programmes. On the occasion, representatives from UN agencies and ambassadors pledged support to the government of Pakistan in its endeavour to create equal opportunities for women. According to the UN Agenda 2030, “The fulfilment of full human potential and sustainable development is not conceivable if one half of humankind continues to be denied full human rights and opportunities.” As women comprise approximately half of the country’s population, their proper utilisation will have a significant impact on the economic growth and competitiveness. However, labour force participation rate of women has been declining since 2015, and stood at a dismally low of 20.6% in 2020. Ending all forms of discrimination against women is not just their fundamental human right. It is also essential for their socioeconomic betterment. It is to mention here that Pakistan has also lately ratified a number of important international agreements on gender equality, including the SDGs, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Beijing Platform for Action, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.