LAHORE: Together with the Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Punjab Women Development Department, and Lahore College for Women University, UNDP Pakistan held a provincial consultation on Closing Pakistan’s Gender Gap through Economic Empowerment and Financial Inclusion of Women in Formal & Informal Economies (SMEs)." UNDP was represented by Assistant Resident Representative (ARR), Ammara Durrani, with LCWU represented by Prof. Dr. Uzma Qureshi, Vice Chancellor, Lahore College for Women University; Faiza Ehsan, Additional Secretary, Women Development Department; Dr. Shehla Javed Akram, Founder Women's Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Falahat Imran, President WCCI, and Syma Arshad, CEO SheMatters. UNDP’s digital partner Jazz, and stakeholders from government, thought leaders, development practitioners, private sector representatives, academia, civil society activists, faculty, and students attended the event. 

 

“We, at UNDP, are proud to be the champion for the cause of gender equality in Pakistan. Together with our partners, we target gender parity stressors with strategic policy and structural interventions and aim to transform women's livelihoods through financial and economic mentorship. We envision broadening their access to digital tools, finance and capital, advocating for gender-responsive budgeting, and positioning women as change agents,” highlighted UNDP ARR Ammara Durrani.

 

The year 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the historic Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action1 — the most transformative framework for achieving women’s rights. This year's IWD 2025 theme is "For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment," highlighting the need for inclusion and immediate action to break down systemic barriers that hold back progress for women and girls globally. 

 

It is especially urgent to address and actively work towards as Pakistan ranked 145th out of 146 countries in the 2024 Global Gender Gap Report2, released by the World Economic Forum (WEF). A key driver of gender parity is increasing women’s participation in the workforce and the formal and informal economy. This is especially crucial for countries like Pakistan, where women comprise over 48% of the population. Greater inclusion of women in SMEs and home-based work can boost economic growth, enhance GDP, and drive diversification. However, they face unconscious bias, microaggressions, harassment, and discrimination, hindering their economic empowerment. To make Womenomics a reality in Pakistan, structural and systemic barriers must be addressed. 

 

“Economic empowerment and financial inclusion are foundational to women’s empowerment because they enable women to take control of their own futures, create better opportunities for themselves and their families, and contribute to a more equitable society. This is essential in bridging the gender gap and achieving true gender equality”, asserted Prof. Dr. Uzma Qureshi, Vice Chancellor, Lahore College for Women University.

 

The event featured a pnel discussion, moderated by Falahat Imran, President WCCI, along with women entrepreneurs, gender, and fintech experts from the Bank of Punjab; Shematters; Jazz Cash; PSDF; HomeNet Pakistan, and Vogue by faiza. who shared their journeys of empowerment, resilience, and persistence amidst resistance. The panelists highlighted women’s role as drivers of economic growth and agents of poverty eradication, policy recommendations to combat the structural, social, and legal barriers to women’s economic emancipation, ways to formalize the informal sector and SMEs, and high-impact SDG-aligned investments & global funding opportunities for women-led businesses.