‘Women leaders envision greater participation in public advocacy’

KARACHI: A round table consultative dialogue with women leaders from the corporate and business sectors, both profit and non-profit was organised in collaboration with the Consulate General of Germany, Karachi and New World Concepts Pakistan.

A pioneer in leadership development for professional women, New World Concepts led by Yasmin Hyder has been organising Women Leadership & Empowerment initiatives over last two decades.

Yasmin stated that objectives to support women economic empowerment, promote civic engagement and capacity development for the betterment of the country, are what drives this Roundtable dialogue in Pakistan.

Consul General of Germany in Karachi, Dr Rudiger Lotz underlined the importance of significantly increasing the proportion of women in public advocacy and representation. This is the only way to take the interests of all people, men and women, into account when making decisions in the public good. He shared examples of Germany and European Union, highlighting role of women leaders from diverse sectors in country’s decision making.

The goal of the roundtable dialogue series, is to facilitate an open exchange of ideas and solutions to improve women’s participation in public advocacy.

Dr Shamshad Akhtar, former Federal Minister of Finance and former Governor, State Bank of Pakistan delivered the keynote address. She expressed concern on the low rate of women participation in the workforce and stressed on the need for womens financial inclusion. She highlighted a number of initiatives taken both by State Bank of Pakistan and Pakistan Stock Exchange for promoting gender diversity and women empowerment.

Barrister Shahida Jamil, former Federal Minister for Law congratulated the participants of the session for their achievements in diverse fields while recalling the rich legacy of women leaders who strove for Pakistan’s independence.

Sima Kamil, former Deputy Governor, State Bank of Pakistan stressed on financial independence and highlighted the role of the regulator in promoting greater women workforce participation. She also spoke of initiatives like Banking on Equality, which have played a significant role in improving the diversity ratio in the banking sector.

Sidra Iqbal, celebrity anchor and Syeda Sarwat Gilani, renowned actress, added valuable perspectives on media portrayal of women. They advocated for a stronger social portrayal of women as independent and empowered.

The 2nd Roundtable dialogue explored the challenges impeding women’s participation in policy making in Pakistan, as an intellectual platform for discourse and insight-sharing.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025