Women’s participation in international and domestic economies not only helps women; it leads to healthier economies. We were thrilled to see this report detailing the difference women's economic empowerment can make in Pakistan. Click through to read the whole article, and keep supporting women's empowerment in every way, and in every country! thenews.com.pk - ISLAMABAD: Women economic empowerment will increase the Pakistan’s economy size by 30 percent, a foreign expert said on Wednesday, saying this requires change in laws and granting of ownership rights to females.

“Pakistan is missing out 30 percent GDP (gross domestic product), which could be achieved with women’s empowerment,” Arancha Gonzalez, executive director at International Trade Center (ITC) said, citing a report by the International Monetary Fund.

Gonzalez was addressing a seminar, titled, ‘She Trades’ arranged by the ministry of commerce.

Geneva-based ITC is a joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization, dedicated to supporting the internationalisation of small and medium enterprises.

“We want to connect one million women till 2020 and many women from Pakistan can become part of global initiative,” said the director ITC.

Gonzalez said the purpose of her visit to Pakistan and organising of the seminar is to work with the government of Pakistan for the women’s economic empowerment.

by Mehtab Haider

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We're always excited to see women bringing their specialized skills and knowledge to bear in the fight for women's rights, so we were thrilled to learn of the appointment of Fiza Farhan, co-founder and CEO of the Buksh Foundation, to the new United Nations High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment. Experts on the panel focus on the intersection between economic growth and gender, and use their unique expertise and power to motivate work toward the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, a primary one of which is gender equality. Read below and click through for the full article to learn more about how Farhan and others are on the vanguard of fighting for gender equality, economic empowerment and a more sustainable future.

asiapacific.unwomen.org - In an announcement today Ms. Fiza Farhan from Pakistan has been named as Member of the first ever High-Level Panel of the UN Secretary-General on Women’s Economic Empowerment. The establishment of this distinguished panel was announced in January at the World Economic Forum in Davos with UN Women - the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women - serving as its secretariat.

The panel will provide recommendations for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to improve economic outcomes for women and promote women’s leadership in driving sustainable and inclusive, environmentally sensitive economic growth. It will provide recommendations for key actions that can be taken by governments, the private sector, the UN system and other stakeholders, as well as policy directives needed to achieve the new targets and indicators in the Sustainable Development Goals which call for the economic empowerment of women, and benefits all. The panel is backed by the United Kingdom, the World Bank Group and UN Women.

Read the rest here.

Women economic empowerment to add 30 percent to GDP

Pakistan’s Fiza Farhan joins UN High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment