Islamabad
\nIslamabad is set to host the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation\u2019s (OIC) 9th Ministerial Conference on Women on July 12-13, with delegations beginning to arrive on Saturday.
\nThe conference, with the theme \u201cSocio-Economic and Political Empowerment of Women in the OIC Countries: Challenges and Way Forward\u201d, is being organised by the human rights ministry and will be held at the Jinnah Convention Centre.
\nIt will bring together ministers responsible for women and family affairs, senior government officials, representatives of OIC institutions, international organisations and development partners to deliberate on advancing the socio-economic and political empowerment of women across the OIC member states, state-run APP noted.
\nMinister for Law, Justice and Human Rights Azam Nazeer Tarar will chair the conference on behalf of Pakistan.
\nAs the chair, Pakistan will lead the conference proceedings and work closely with OIC member states to foster dialogue, build consensus and advance collective efforts towards the empowerment of women across the Muslim world, APP said.
\nIt added that Pakistan\u2019s hosting of the moot reflected its \u201csteadfast commitment\u201d to OIC\u2019s objectives and to strengthening cooperation among its members in advancing women\u2019s rights, dignity and empowerment.
\nOver the next two days, participating delegations will engage in high-level discussions to review progress, exchange experiences and best practices, and identify practical pathways for enhancing the socio-economic and political empowerment of women across the OIC member states.
\nIn a post on X on Saturday, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar offered a \u201cwarm welcome\u201d to the delegates and wished them \u201cproductive discussions and a memorable stay\u201d.
\nHe shared an image highlighting that representatives from 57 OIC member states would gather in the federal capital for the conference.
\nSome of the visiting delegations were warmly received at Islamabad International Airport today by Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik, Parliamentary Secretary for Human Rights Saba Sadiq, and Parliamentary Secretary for Law and Justice Farah Naz Akbar. Senior officials of the human rights and foreign affairs ministries, along with other government representatives, were also present.
\nAccording to posts on X by the human rights ministry, those participating in the conference include Saudi Arabia\u2019s Family Affairs Council Secretary General Dr Maimoonah Khalil Alkhalil, Egypt\u2019s National Council for Women President Amal Ammar, Bangladesh\u2019s Women and Children Affairs Minister Abu Zafar Md. Zahid Hossain, and Iraq\u2019s Vice President for Women and Family Affairs Dr Zainab Al-Mulla Al-Sultani.
\nOthers attending include Libya\u2019s Minister of State for Women\u2019s Affairs Grebe Randa, her Yemeni counterpart Dr Ahed Mohammed Jassous, Nigeria\u2019s Women Affairs Minister Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Somalia\u2019s Family and Human Rights Development Minister Khadija Makhzoumi, and Mauritania\u2019s Social Affairs Ministry Secretary General Hamoudi Cheikhna Ali.
\nPakistan ranked the lowest among 148 countries in the World Economic Forum\u2019s (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report 2025 \u2014 with 56.7 per cent gender parity \u2014 the highest since 2006.
\nThe figure was a second consecutive drop from the economy\u2019s best score of 57.7pc, achieved in 2023.
\nAccording to the International Labour Organ\u00adisation (ILO), women in wage employment earn approximately 30 per cent lower monthly wages than their male counterparts in Pakistan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Islamabad Islamabad is set to host the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation\u2019s (OIC) 9th Ministerial Conference on Women on July 12-13, with delegations beginning to arrive on Saturday. The conference, with the theme \u201cSocio-Economic and Political Empowerment of Women in the OIC Countries: Challenges and Way Forward\u201d, is being organised by the human rights ministry and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":555736,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-555715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-top-news"],"yoast_head":"\n