ISLAMABAD:The National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), in collaboration with the UNFPA, UNDP, UN Women and Jazz, hosted a consultative session on a ‘Gender and Digital Divide in Pakistan’ in Karachi on Tuesday.
This is the third consultative session out of four, which is planned to be held in all provinces of Pakistan. The findings and recommendations in a form of a report will be presented at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, said a press release received here.
Meanwhile, today’s conference was attended by the representatives of the media, civil society, and academia.
Chairperson NCSW Nilofar Bakhtiar, in her opening address, stated that the digital divide had further deteriorated the gender disparity in the country. “The policymakers, leaders and relevant stakeholders need to understand the importance of having women at the forefront facing technology,” she stressed.
Habiba Hassan, Gulalai Khan, Sabahat Bukhari, board members from NCSW, academia from LUMS faculty, and Jazz officials respectively spoke on the risks that automatically arise with the increase in technology in society, namely the risks and dangers for women as well as the increasing digital divide in the nation.
Sima Kamil, the first female Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan spoke on the ‘nuances of culture’ (across the world) and the digital sphere. “A threat assessment training is crucial for those using it,” she said.
A threat assessment is an evaluation of events that can adversely affect operations and/or specific assets.
Meanwhile, Mubashir Akram, writing the official report, gave a presentation on Women in the Era of Digitalization to set the context for group discussions.
During the closing session, Adil Farhat, CEO of Procter & Gamble, joined the event and spoke on the role his organization was playing to increase gender inclusivity in the digital sphere.
Mr. Asif Ikram, Secretary Information and Technology Department Sindh also participated in the session where he spoke at length about the precedent set by women throughout history which played a large role in the advancement of society.
Ms. Tanzeela Umi Habiba, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister Sindh for Information & Technology closed the event.