Islamabad, 28 March 2018:  The Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (WPC) in the Parliament of Pakistan is about to conclude its second tenure, which means that it is successfully completing its 10 years of existence. As the general elections of 2018 are drawing closer in Pakistan, the WPC is in the process of documenting the lessons learnt including the best practices for the members of the next women parliamentary caucus. For the purpose, a one day National Convention was organised on 28th March at the Marriott by the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus to reflect on the opportunities provided by the WPC in the fulfilment of their legislative, representative and oversight roles as women parliamentarians.

The Convention was organised in collaboration with Trocaire Pakistan and the Government of Australia. Over one hundred participants attended including women parliamentarians from across Pakistan as well as Gilgit Baltistan and AJK Legislative Assemblies, representatives of provincial women commissions, women development departments, civil society and academia attended.

Mr. Mumtaz Ahmad Tarar, Federal Minster for Human Rights was invited as the chief guest for the occasion, while MNA Dr. Nafisa Shah, former secretary and founding member of WPC delivered the Key Note Address.

Honorable Chief Guest, Mr. Mumtaz Ahmad Tarar, in his address stated that Human Rights are an important issue for any government and his government is no different. He stated that the Ministry of Human Rights has been working towards the protection of the rights of the weak and the undermined. In this regards, a number of bills and acts have been formulated and passed among other efforts for the access to justice. The Minister also acknowledged the frequent interaction between the Ministry and WPC in supporting the human rights issues.
 
MNA Shaista Malik, Secretary WPC, in her welcome address highlighted the significance of WPC and stated that the Convention provides most pertinent and timely opportunity to deliberate on the lessons learnt since its inception. She said that the WPC must continue to provide a strong forum to the women parliamentarians in the attainment of a meaningful legislative, representative and oversight role.

Dr. Nafisa Shah shared the early challenges and achievements of the WPC. She said that the WPC in past not only tackled ground issues like violence against women and economic empowerment of women, but also issues regarding terrorism and women’s role in peace negotiations etc and evolved strategies for law making through consensus building. She said that the caucus was able to connect beyond borders and reached out to women parliamentarians across borders like the UK, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and also placed the foundation of a women parliamentarians forum at the SAARC level.

Australia’s High Commissioner to Pakistan, Margaret Adamson in her address stated that “I am pleased that Australia continues to support the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus, which does wonderful work rallying women legislators around legislation that protects women’s rights and advances the cause of gender equity. Since its formation, the Caucus has played a vital role in the passage of legislation on domestic violence, workplace harassment, acid crimes, honour killings, and in many other areas.”
 
John O'Brien, Trócaire's Country Director in Pakistan, lauded the role that women parliamentarians continue to play in influencing policy and legislative measures, especially in increasing women’s political participation across the country. He further commended the role of WPC in advancing gender equality and driving inclusive and sustainable development.

The consultation resulted in a set of recommendations that will, once put together, will serve as a strategic road map on how to optimally make the legislative business gender responsive and to transform the parliamentary democracy into an institutionalized and inclusive system. The Report of the Consultation will bring out strategic directions for the future members of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucuses across Pakistan.