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QUETTA, Jul 03 (APP):A one-day training session on legislation and advocacy was successfully held in Balochistan Assembly (BA) in collaboration with Women Parliamentary Caucus Balochistan Provincial Assembly and UN Women. A purposeful and meaningful training session was held in the Committee Hall of Balochistan Assembly on Thursday which was made possible by the collaboration of Women Parliamentary Caucus Balochistan Provincial Assembly and UN Women.
The session was well attended by representatives of civil society, development organizations, women members of the assembly and members of relevant institutions.
The objective of the session was to provide the participants with a better understanding and practical skills related to parliamentary processes, legislation, oversight and accountability, and gender-responsive policymaking, so as to promote inclusive, participatory and accountable governance in Balochistan.
The session was chaired by Deputy Speaker Balochistan Assembly and Chairperson Women Parliamentary Caucus Balochistan Assembly Ms Ghazala Gola.
In his opening address, she said that this session is a positive step towards making women’s political participation effective, strengthening links with civil society, and making legislation representative for all sections of society.
She also thanked UN Women for its continued support and said that their support has not only strengthened the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus but also given a new dimension to gender equality-based policymaking in Balochistan.
In the session, Secretary Balochistan Assembly Tahir Shah Kakar gave a detailed briefing and highlighted the provincial legislative system, the role of the assembly, drafting laws, amendments, approval stages, parliamentary committees, questions, and the usefulness of motions.
He also answered various questions of the participants, which the participants found satisfactory.
A special question and answer session was also held during the session, in which suggestions for possible cooperation from civil society were presented.
The participants were also made aware of important laws related to gender equality, policy frameworks, bill tracking, and practical procedures for policy monitoring.
Minister for Education Raheela Hameed Khan Durrani said that our women are working hard but their work and role are not visible, we are determined to make the Women’s Caucus more active and strong.
Continuation of such training sessions is the need of the hour, she said.
At the end of the ceremony, Member of Assembly and Deputy Secretary Women’s Parliamentary Caucus Balochistan Assembly Shahida Rauf also made a brief statement and thanked the participants.
Ayesha Ayub Wadood, Head of the Sub-Office of UN Women Balochistan, also addressed the participants along with the Deputy Speaker and said that this partnership is a great opportunity to practically strengthen gender-sensitive governance and policy-making in Balochistan, we would further promote close collaboration with the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus.
In the end, Chairperson Women Parliamentary Caucus Balochistan Assembly Ghazala Gola thanked all the participants, civil society, development agencies, and UN Women and expressed hope that this session would become the basis for a sustainable, strong and meaningful connection between the parliament and public institutions in the future.