A three-day workshop led by UN Women Pakistan concluded in Karachi late Thursday with a promise by private sector firms to advance gender equality and adopt the global best practices in line with Women Empowerment Principles (WEP).

Titled 'Mind the Gap', the workshop saw participation from Human Resources (HR) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practitioners from 16 leading private sector national and international companies, according to a press release by UN Women.

The main areas of focus included workplace equality, inclusion, and diversity, said the handout.

The event was led and supported by Fareeha Ummar, the portfolio manager of UN Women Pakistan's Women’s Economic Empowerment and Sustainable Livelihoods (WEE & SL), as well as Jamaluddin Khan, a programme officer of the WEE & SL.

Over the course of the workshop, the participants were briefed on "gender equality dynamics, diagnostics, and the way forward", said the UN Women Pakistan statement.

Highlights from a White Paper that Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) has presented to the government for approval were also shared by the HR head of Unilever Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Asma Yousaf.

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The workshop facilitator, Mera Maan CEO Shahnaz Kapadia Rahat, also briefed the participants on the WEP, which is the 7-principle global code of conduct for businesses on gender equality.

In Pakistan, 66 private sector companies have signed as supporters and promoters of WEP, according to UN Women Pakistan.

"Through an activity, participants also mapped their CSR and HR practices regarding contributions to creating women-friendly workplaces, responsive and diverse C-suite management, inclusion of female entrepreneurs in procurement and supply chain, and gender-responsive HR policies and structure," added the statement.

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On the last day of the event, the participants conceptualised a way forward and developed a Gender Responsive Action Plan – 2020.

Twenty participating organisations presented their action plans, including JS Bank, Nestle, Schneider Electric, Soorty Enterprises, Pak Suzuki Motors, Engro Corp, EY Ford Rhodes, Bulleh Shah Packaging, PepsiCo, EFU General Insurance Ltd, Sindh Microfinance Bank, TPL Corp, ICAP, Novo Nordisk Pharma, Midas Safety, Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company, Arthur Lawrence, Gharo Solar Ltd, and National Foods Ltd.

The plans included policies with a view to "recruiting more persons with disabilities and transgenders; investing in developing women for leadership and CEO level management; gearing CSR practices so that it is more business driven, sustainable, and able to support women; improving recruitment, retention, and growth through women-friendly policies, in particular establishing and improving daycare centres", said the press release.