Women empowerment must to achieve UN-SDGs, says UNESCO Pakistan Chief
Islamkot, Tharparkar: UNESCO Pakistan Country Director, Ms. Patricia McPhillips has said that in order to achieve UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), women empowerment is a prerequisite in all human development indicators.
Heading a UNESCO delegation, Ms. Patricia McPhillips visited Thar Coal Block II on Thursday and visited Thar Foundation projects in general and women empowerment initiatives in particular. The delegation visited Mining, Power Plant projects, TF Hospital, New Senhri Dars Resettlement Village, Biosaline Agriculture Pilot Projects including Thar Million Tree Program.
The delegation also met with Women Dump truck Drivers, Women workers at 5MW Solar Power Plant, Women RO Plant Operators and different Thar Foundation schools.
While commenting after the visit, Ms. Patricia was of the view that she has seldom seen such women empowerment and inclusive corporate social responsibility projects across the world.
She praised vision of Engro Energy Limited and Thar Foundation for creating such spaces for women, which she declared is a real women empowerment. She spent time with women workers in all projects to understand how their lives have been transformed with such empowerment.
She admired TF for adopting SDGs approach to implement CSR program.
Ms. Patricia said during her visit to Tharparkar, she understand the inclusive development model which supporting the local community and moving there development process forward.
“The community women are fully integrated in the inclusive development process which is a must to achieve primary SDGs,” she said.
She concluded with the note that local people who lived for centuries, still live together in harmony and its really educative and great to see that the TF initiatives are encouraging further social cohesion and harmony, which will ultimately take them to substantive and sustainable progress forward.
Earlier, General Manager CSR Thar Foundation, Naseer Memon briefed the UNESCO delegation about the Thar Foundation initiatives and working with Government of Sindh to make the model towards a sustainable development of the area.
He said, following conducting census, Thar Foundation is developing Islamkot Taluka Master Plan to target it as a first ever SDG compliant Taluka of Pakistan. Mr. Sameer Luqman of UNESCO was part of the delegation whereas, Umair Aslam Butt and Waqas Aziz of SECMC, Muhammad Hingorjo, Fayyaz Shaikh and Rashna Zameer of Thar Foundation also briefed the visitors about respective initiatives. (PR)
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