Pakistan’s Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (WPC) and a top UN Women official have agreed to enhance cooperation on critical gender equality issues, with a specific focus on bolstering domestic violence legislation and improving the implementation of laws designed to protect women across the country.

This significant commitment emerged from a high-level meeting on Tuesday between the WPC leadership and Ms. Christine Allan Arab, the Regional Director of UN Women Asia-Pacific, during her official visit to Islamabad. The dialogue was hosted by the Caucus to reinforce strategic partnerships for gender equality.

The session included prominent figures such as Secretary WPC Dr. Shahida Rehmani and MNAs Rana Ansar, Mah Jabeen Khan Abbasi, Huma Akhter Chughtai, and Naeema Kishwar Khan. The UN Women delegation was also represented by Pakistan Country Representative Jamshed Kazi.

The WPC leadership conveyed their appreciation for UN Women’s consistent backing, which has been instrumental in advancing gender-responsive laws, building the capacity of female parliamentarians, and reinforcing the Caucus’s institutional framework at both national and provincial levels.

During the discussion, the Caucus presented its Annual Report for 2024-25, showcasing a series of major accomplishments. These included the expansion of WPC chapters into the provinces, the successful organization of the National Women’s Convention 2025, and hosting Pakistan’s inaugural International Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Workshop.

Dr. Rehmani stressed the Caucus’s broad vision, stating, ‘Our work goes beyond legislation – it is about ensuring women’s voices, rights, and dignity are upheld at every level. Partnering with UN Women has played a central role in advancing this mission, and we look forward to further deepening our collaboration.’

Ms. Arab praised the WPC for its proactive leadership and reaffirmed UN Women’s dedication to supporting Pakistan’s objectives for gender parity and female empowerment.

The two parties concluded the meeting by agreeing to intensify their joint efforts. Future collaboration will concentrate on developing robust gender data systems and ensuring better follow-up and execution of policies affecting women, in addition to the renewed push on domestic violence laws.