KARACHI, Aug 7: To provide equal opportunities and realize their full potential, besides removing the imbalances in all sectors of socio-economic development, to provide equal access to all development benefits, and finally, to ensure equal partnership in the development and decision making process in the country and society; these are the main guidelines of the national policy for development and empowerment of women.

This was stated by members of a seven-member delegation of the Ministry of Women’s Development Department (MWDD), government of Pakistan, led by Ms Shela Asif, DG, during their meeting with the DG Provincial Transition Wing (PTW) of the local government department, Ahmed Fahim Mughal.

The leader of the delegation apprised the DG PTW and other officials of the local government of the Women’s Ministry and NUHPA Project Pak 101-11, which stands fo strengthening the capacity of the MWDD for NPA coordination and advisory through Gender Management Information System (GMIS).

She also disclosed that due to interaction with the media, NGOs, and the positive response they were getting from work already being done in Sindh, the MWD had chosen Sindh as the first place to start this project. The basic object of the GMIS is to consolidate data from various provincial departments to get authenticated information used for advocacy purposes and for policy making gender policy specialists, Ms Amna Qadir Adhan said. She added that for the purpose, delegation members will be meeting the heads of the education, health, agriculture and other departments. She further stated that these provincial departments have also been asked to nominate a focal coordinator who will be meeting jointly with delegation members next Friday.

She also spelt out the aims of the GMIS, which she said is to analyze disparity amongst the genders and to improve the monitoring valuation system among linkages with the provincial government.

Earlier, Fahim Mughal, welcomed the delegation members on behalf of the secretary local government and assured the delegation members of the department’s full cooperation for the uplift of women.—PPI