Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Syed Imran Ahmed Shah on Friday said women and young people are central to achieving a sustained reduction in poverty as an international conference on inclusive and resilient economic empowerment and growth is set to bring together around 400 participants from 12 countries in Islamabad on October 13-14 to identify practical solutions for lifting vulnerable communities out of poverty.
Women, youth pivotal to lasting poverty reduction: Syed Imran Shah
Maryam Shah
ISLAMABAD, Oct 10 (APP):Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Syed Imran Ahmed Shah on Friday said women and young people are central to achieving a sustained reduction in poverty as an international conference on inclusive and resilient economic empowerment and growth is set to bring together around 400 participants from 12 countries in Islamabad on October 13-14 to identify practical solutions for lifting vulnerable communities out of poverty.
Mr Shah said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Uraan Pakistan initiative provided a broader policy framework for inclusive economic development and public welfare, aiming to strengthen economic stability and improve the living conditions of vulnerable segments of society.
The minister emphasised the need to translate poverty alleviation policies into tangible outcomes by expanding economic opportunities for disadvantaged communities and strengthening their resilience to financial hardships and crises.
He said the conference, themed “Poverty to Prosperity”, would provide an opportunity to explore how community-based initiatives, interest-free financing and partnerships among public institutions, development organisations and local communities could contribute to sustainable economic empowerment.
The conference is being organised by the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, the Centre of Excellence for National Cohesion and Outreach, Islamabad, and Paigham-e-Pakistan, ahead of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October 17.
In an exclusive interview with APP ahead of the event, PPAF Chief Executive Officer Nadir Gul Barech outlined the conference agenda, highlighting the importance of inclusive and sustainable economic empowerment, the sharing of successful poverty alleviation models and stronger collaboration among governments, development partners and local communities to identify practical pathways from poverty to prosperity.
Highlighting the PPAF’s community development initiatives, Mr Shah said the organisation had established around 171,200 community institutions across 157 districts through its partner organisations, with approximately 2.67 million members, 63 per cent of whom were women.
He said the figures reflected the importance of grassroots participation in poverty alleviation and the need to ensure that women and other vulnerable groups played a meaningful role in local development initiatives.
The minister also highlighted the scale of the PPAF’s interest- free lending programme, saying the organisation had facilitated 3.69 million loans worth approximately Rs149.61 billion since 2014, with a reported recovery rate of 98 per cent.
The lending programme is intended to expand access to finance and support economic participation, while community institutions provide a channel for connecting people with development opportunities.
The upcoming conference is expected to bring together policymakers, representatives of financial institutions and development partners, researchers, civil society organisations, private sector representatives and local communities to exchange experiences and explore approaches that could be adapted to different economic and social contexts.
The discussions will focus on sustainable models of economic empowerment and stronger cooperation among institutions working to reduce poverty, with particular emphasis on ensuring that the benefits of economic progress reach disadvantaged communities, Mr Barech told APP.
