LAHORE, Mar 10 (APP): The United States (U.S.) Consul General in Lahore William K. Makaneole has stressed the need of reforms to ensure maximum participation of women in all fields of life to achieve the cherished ideal of gender equity and equality in societies.
In his opening remarks at a conference on ‘Gender Strategy: Policy Development and Implementation in the United Sates and Punjab’ at the Forman Christian College (FCC) University here on Thursday, he said the recently launched U.S. National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality underscores the U.S. government’s commitment to advancing the rights and opportunities for women, girls and transgender persons in the U.S. and around the globe.
Held in connection with the Women’s History Month 2022, the conference was held under the auspices of the U.S. Consulate General, Lahore and the United States Education Foundation Pakistan (USEFP) and attended by academicians, social activists, research scholars and journalists.
“We are each responsible for addressing the inequalities that women face. We understand that when women and girls have access to tools and resources enabling their full participation in economic and social life, communities are stronger, businesses grow and nations thrive”, the Consul General added.
Makaneole assured that the conferences like this will be an on-going process and the conference is one of the first to achieve gender equity. He said, “We want to exchange knowledge and experiences to empower women, girls and transgenders.”
Dr. Valerie Begley, Gender issues Coordinator for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs at the U.S. Department of State in Washington DC, in her featured presentation, said the U.S. government works for the elimination of barriers to women’s economic progress, including the gender pay gap, unpaid or underpaid care responsibilities, discriminatory laws and the lack of legal protection for women; gender-based violence, harassment, and other societal barriers.
Women rights activist Fauzia Viqar, Salman Sufi, psychologist Muneeza Manzoor, Chairperson Lahore Arts Council Moneeza Hashmi and social activist Ume Laila Azher participated in the panel discussion during the conference. The speakers also responded to the question of the participants.