KARACHI: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) project, Pakistan Regional Economic Integration Activity (PREIA), hosted a roundtable discussion on women’s participation and gender inclusion in Pakistan’s trade policy.
A US Consulate statement on Tuesday said that women from public and corporate sectors, academia and think tanks participated in the discussion and covered various topics related to gender inclusion in Pakistan’s trade policy.
USAID Provincial Director for Sindh and Balochistan, Denise A. Herbol, was also present and emphasised that “Women require access to market intelligence and must be given the ability to organise resources effectively to meet market demand, scale-up and respond to trade opportunities.”
“We recognise the need for women to have managerial and organisational resources and skills to develop business and export readiness and to manage as well expand their businesses efficiently,” she added.
Members in the discussion shared their views on trade policy formulation and advocacy, specifically aimed at promoting the participation of women.
Over the course of the event, multiple sessions were facilitated by experts including former Trade Dispute Resolution Office Director General Roubina Taufiq.
Similar roundtable discussions were recently held in other cities where participants from Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Kashmir and Peshawar were in attendance.
The USAID’s PREIA is a five-year initiative, aimed at furthering the development of Pakistan’s trade sector.
The series of roundtable discussions is being conducted as part of the Women Leadership Development Program (WLDP) in collaboration with the USAID Training for Pakistan project.
The WLDP seeks to support women from various trade sectors, such as the government, corporate, business and academia and equip them with the necessary training to further their inclusion in the economic sector.
