Thirty years ago in Beijing, we pledged to build a future where women and girls enjoy full equality and empowerment. Today, as we commemorate this milestone, we must recommit not just in words, but through bold and measurable action.
For Pakistan, gender equality is anchored in the vision of our founding father, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who declared: “No nation can rise to the height of glory unless your women are side by side with you.” Guided by this conviction, Pakistan has made significant progress.
Women continue to hold leadership positions in politics, judiciary, bureaucracy, law enforcement, and armed forces. Pakistan was proud to elect the first female Prime Minister Late Benazir Bhutto in the Muslim world, and more recently, the first woman Chief Minister of Punjabm Ms. Maryam Nawaz Sharif. With reserved seats in the national and provincial assemblies as well as in local bodies, women’s voices are shaping policy at every level.
Dedicated institutions — including the National and Provincial Commissions on the Status of Women, specialized courts for gender-based violence, women’s police stations, and human rights cells — are ensuring rights, protection, and access to justice for women. We have also enacted progressive legislation to protect women from violence, workplace harassment, and discrimination.
We are also acting at the grassroots level. Social protection and empowerment programs — such as the federal funded Benazir Income Support Program and the Prime Minister’s Youth Program — are helping women escape poverty, gain access to finance, and benefit from vocational and entrepreneurial opportunities.
Yet we know that progress is uneven, both globally and nationally. The Beijing+30 Action Agenda reminds us that transformation must be accelerated across all priorities. What is needed now is for us to collectively scale up financing for gender equality — through national budgets, international cooperation, and innovative partnerships — because commitments without resources remain unfulfilled promises.
Mr. President,
Beijing Declaration remains the boldest global compact for women’s rights. Its true legacy must progress. Let us act with urgency, courage, and solidarity so that every woman and girl can live free from poverty and violence, and be empowered to lead and contribute to inclusive development.
