Bilawal to leave for New York next week

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will visit New York next week to chair the Conference on “Women in Islam: Understanding the rights and Identity of Women in the Islamic World” to be held at the United Nations Headquarters.

The conference being held on 8 March 2023 is an initiative of Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. It is being convened by Pakistan in its capacity as the chair of the OIC Council of Ministers at the UN Headquarters on the sidelines of the 67th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

According to Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the objective of the conference is to bridge the perception-reality gap on the rights of women in Islam and to counter gender stereotypes that are often associated with Muslim women. She said that the conference will celebrate the experiences and successes of iconic Muslim women so as to inspire younger generations around the world.

She added that the conference will have high-level and policy dialogue segments and the Foreign Minister will chair the high-level segment.

“We expect ministerial level participation from OIC Member States and non-OIC states, in addition to the leadership of the United Nations, UN Women and other international organizations,” she added.

On 10th of March, she added that the Foreign Minister will headline an event on Islamophobia in New York.

Last year, at the initiative of Pakistan, the United Nations General Assembly declared 15 March as the Day to Combat Islamophobia.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023