Embassies, IWCCI to jointly take women empowerment initiatives

Pakistani women have great potential to spark economic growth

Islamabad: August 29

Women's economic empowerment has a crucial role in the socio-economic development of Pakistan therefore we have decided to cooperate with the IWCCI to meet the noble objective.

This was the crux of the speeches delivered by the spouses of Ambassador of Australia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka at a function organised by Islamabad Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Speaking to businesswomen, Ms. Susan Heyward, Herry Listyawati, and Kumari Weerakkody said that we will jointly take steps to ensure capacity building and empowerment of women so that they can play their due role in the national development.

They said that supporting entrepreneurship is the best way to empower women which helps them realise their potential and fulfil their aspirations.

“We will enrich the women with practical skills for future livelihood endeavours,” they said adding that we will look into introducing some unique income-generating projects for local women.

Advancing women’s participation in all walks of life has become imperative without which a country cannot develop, they observed.

Speaking at the occasion, founder president and incumbent President of the IWCCI Samina Fazil and Farida Rashid said that Pakistani women needs improved access to education, health care and economic resources so that culture of discrimination can be successfully eliminated.

They called upon the developed countries to help business chambers enhance their technical capacity and organizational capability so that businesswomen may not face serious hardships in future.

The leaders of women entrepreneurs said that we are committed to increasing the opportunities and well-being of women and consider gender equality as an integral part of sustainable development.

We will continue to raise public awareness, try to gain influence with decision makers, support and promote women’s leadership agenda, and advocate for a change, said Samina Fazil and Farida Rashid.

Women comprise more than 50 per cent of total population but they have been forced into a systemic gender subordination which has pushed Pakistan at the bottom of Global Gender Gap Report.

Women need to be included in economic activities in order for countries to truly experience development and peace, said Farida Rashid.

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Ports needs a major policy transformation: IWCCI

Pakistani ports clogging maritime commerce
 

Islamabad: July 02

The Islamabad Women's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IWCCI) on Tuesday called for increased focus on developing ports to ensure smooth flow of merchandise and stimulation of economic activities.  

 

Country is passing through challenges while economy is under pressure due to various reasons including congestion of ports which remains one of the main hurdles to growth, it said.

 

Pakistan should allocate extra resources for development of ports which are handling 90 per cent of the nation’s external trade to unleash a new era of maritime commerce, said Farida Rashid, President IWCCI.

 

Talking to the business community, she said that ports needs a major policy transformation as it holds the key to growth of most sectors like manufacturing, agriculture and trade.

 

Farida Rashid said that Port Qasim handling around 37 per cent of the nation’s cargo is earning good profit but the progress is slow while procedures have become a problem.

 

Development of Gwadar Port located at the juncture of South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East, needs urgent attention as all Pakistani ports hardly handle 1.1 million containers annually while only one Port of Jabel Ali, UAE handles 12 million containers per annum which will be expanded to 55 million containers by 2030, she said.

 

Similarly, the Port of Sohar, one of the eight in Oman, is hardly 100 km away from Gwadar, it has also become a major transhipment hub which will start handling 1.5 million containers once their US$130 million expansion project is completed by end 2013 while Port Sultan Qaboos can hand over 20 million tonnes of cargo, she said.

 

She said that Shanghai, China is on the top of 50 best container ports of the, Singapore in second while Pakistan is not mentioned in the list.

 

Farida Rashid said that Pakistan stands at 32^nd in Southeast Asia due to cumbersome operational, administrative and security procedures making it ill-equipped for competition and expansive for trade. Pakistani ports are at the bottom in the Saarc region with Dhaka on the top, she said.  

 

There are around 100,000 cargo ships in the world excluding naval ships and fishing boats etc., India and Iran owns more than 400 while PNSC which once had 70 ships is now operating only none.

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