Faiza Tehseen

Promoting gender equality is crucial to achieving the climate diplomacy and green economy goals.

“Despite accounting for less than 1% of the overall global carbon emissions, Pakistan is facing the severe consequences of climatic change – mainly droughts and floods. In 2022, the floods caused damage worth over R24 billion,” said Muhammad Saleem Shaikh, spokesperson of the Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Ministry. Talking to WealthPK, he said ensuring gender equality could help Pakistan reference the country as a proactive player at international platforms. “It will also promote Pakistan as an advocate of climate action given its own climate vulnerability. Any climate action taken at any scale would help the country build its climate resilience.” Shaikh said that gender equality was not only a matter of equity but it guaranteed sustainable social activities. “Women are the most neglected segment in our society as their participation in different walks of life is not prominent. They can play an active role as smart producers, workers and entrepreneurs for transforming the country’s economy. Empowering women is essential for the social development of communities.”

Shaikh, who is also a climate change education specialist, said: “Women are the worst sufferers of natural disasters, especially those resulting from the climatic impacts. So, empowering women will make them an active part of financial activities, decision making, conservation and better resource management. In this way, not only the gender inequality will be addressed, but the economy will also get a boom through higher growth.” The climate ministry spokesman said ensuring gender equality could achieve a host of economic benefits. “In this regard, the government should encourage women by providing them necessary funding, easy loans, asset support, skill learning and trainings. In the backward areas, special awareness sessions should be held to enable the females to become an active and productive part of society.” “When women are encouraged to play an active role in saving ecology, this will go a long way in achieving the green economy goals,” the ministry official noted.

Highlighting the importance of gender empowerment for green economy in Pakistan, Muhammad Saleh Mangrio, Executive Director of Centre for Rural Change, Sindh, said that women, especially in rural areas, were affected by socioeconomic disparities. “Women are vulnerable when they are not empowered financially. Their participation in economic activities is crucial to achieving prosperity.” Talking to WealthPK, Mangrio emphasised the need to confer a leadership role to women to help achieve green economy on a large scale. “Globally, people have increasingly recognized the fact that there is great connectivity between environmental sustainability and gender equality. Women participation in different sectors is key to bringing a real change in Pakistan,” he underscored.  A report by International Monetary fund says that in developing economies or emerging markets, bridging the gender gap in labour markets can help increase the gross domestic product around 8%. After fully closing the gender gap, the gain would be even higher as it can reach up to 23% on average in such economies and markets.

Credit: INP-WealthPk