Gender equality core element of Australia’s foreign policy: Envoy

ISLAMABAD – Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan Margaret Adamson Monday said that gender equality and women’s empowerment was a core element of Australia’s foreign policy.

Adamson welcomed Australian gender equality advocate Elizabeth Broderick to Pakistan on a visit to engage business leaders on promoting gender equality in the workplace.

Broderick, a former Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner (2007-15), is the Global Co-Chair of UN Global Compact Women’s Empowerment Principles, Special Adviser to Under-Secretary UN Women on Private Sector Engagement, and Founder of the ‘Male Champions of Change’ initiative – working with influential male leaders to become advocates for gender equality.

Welcoming the visit, High Commissioner Adamson said that gender equality and women’s empowerment to play their rightful, equal role in economic development and society as a whole was a core element of Australia’s foreign policy and underpinned the Australian government’s development partnerships – with Pakistan and globally.

“Australia’s aid investments in Pakistan are designed to ensure that women benefit from all our economic growth-related programs. I am hopeful that Broderick’s visit and her engagement with private sector leaders will encourage the development of strategies and policies to maximise the participation of women throughout Pakistan’s economy,” she added.

Broderick will visit Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi to share experience and to discuss the business case for gender equality, building on initiatives already gaining traction among the business community in Pakistan, including the UN Women Empowerment Principles.

She will also meet with women members of the national and provincial assemblies, government officials and representatives of UN agencies and the World Bank and lead discussions on accelerating economic growth and innovation in Pakistan by harnessing the talent and potential of its women.

Broderick welcomed the opportunity to meet with Pakistan’s private sector leaders and prominent women representatives.

“Gender equality and women’s economic participation are key social and economic issues for both our nations.  I am excited to be meeting with business leaders and other influential men and women to share innovative strategies, learn from each other and discuss how to accelerate the pace of change,” Broderick said in her message.

The Economist listed Broderick as one of the World’s Top 50 diversity figures in public life in 2015.

SOURCE: http://nation.com.pk/national/08-Aug-2017/gender-equality-core-element-of-australia-s-foreign-policy-envoy