LAHORE, Feb 20: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has agreed to engage the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority as a national level implementing partner for its Gender Promotion Project in Pakistan.

The agreement was reached during a meeting between a three-member delegation of the UNDP with the Smeda CEO held here on Wednesday.

The delegation discussed the scope of Smeda’s partnership in the project and agreed that it had an adequate capacity to work in the industrial sectors identified for the purpose.

The delegation comprised Ms. Faiza Effendi, Assistant Resident Representative, Chief Poverty Reduction & Gender Unit, Ms. Cyra Syed, Programme Analyst, UNDP Islamabad, and Mr. Sajeel Butt, National Project Manager, GenProm, Faisalabad.

The UNDP officials informed the Smeda chief that the project was already being carried out in the garments sector in collaboration with Pakistan Readymade Garment Manufacturers & Exporters Association in Sindh region and Faisalabad Institute of Textile and Fashion Design in Punjab.

The UNDP had established a Project Management Unit in each region and hired a world-renowned consultant company for all training-related activities.

Skills development for females was being carried out in selected garment factories. About 1,300 female operators and 190 master trainers have, so far, been trained and employed in 20 garment factories countrywide under GenProm Project.