GILGIT: In a first, the Gilgit-Baltistan cabinet approved a women-centric development policy aimed at gender equality and women empowerment through infrastructure development and other measures.

The GB Women Empowerment Policy, Strategy, and Action Plan 2024-2029 is aimed at the empowerment of women in seven priority areas, including education and lifelong learning, economic empowerment and inclusive growth, health, civic participation, climate resilience, human rights and social protection.

The policy also hopes to encourage women towards the STEM field. For greater visibility of women in public life, enforcement of women’s quotas in recruitment has been emphasised. Likewise, the removal of barriers to the free mobility of women through extensive infrastructure development has been promised.

Several large-scale behavioural change communication projects have also been designed to break taboos and create a women-friendly public discourse for effective participation in all walks of life.

Move aims to empower women in education, economic sectors

The policy also envisages close coordination with the Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commission to enforce the pro-women clauses of the Election Act 2017 during the upcoming local government as well as regional elections.

The policy also suggests measures to combat climate change which disproportionally affects women and thus requires special measures. Pakistan’s national commitments to women described in the National Gender Development Framework 2012-2030 are also included in the policy along with its international commitments.

It also ensures constitutional guarantees for the uplift of women and the elimination of discrimination.

“The policy is set in the broader context of the global women development goals by the United Nations and other international conventions and covenants,” Yasmin Karim, a gender expert, said.

According to lead consultant Riaz Akbar, the policy has seven thematically organised objectives, with each objective comprising a five-year action plan, a one-year action plan, and a quarterly action plan.

The policy is underpinned by five strategic pillars that will be deployed to achieve the policy objectives.

A general assessment of the state of development of GB’s women across districts is also presented in the policy.

Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2024