Together We Can: Building Strategic Alliances with Private sector

P&G and UN Women partner for Women's Economic Empowerment in Pakistan

Karachi, Pakistan — Procter & Gamble (P&G) and UN Women have signed a partnership to contribute towards the economic empowerment of women in Pakistan. The initiative includes strengthening women entrepreneurship and supporting gender-responsive procurement in the country. The partnership was announced after a meeting between Mr. Jamshed M. Kazi, Country Representative for UN Women Pakistan and Mr. Sami Ahmed, Vice President P&G Pakistan at the P&G General Office in Karachi.

Sami Ahmed, Vice President, P&G Pakistan (2nd from right) and Jamshed M. Kazi, UN Women Country Representative for Pakistan (Centre). Photo: UN Women

This partnership stems from P&G's commitment to gender equality which is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #5 - to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. The initiative will help marginalized but enterprising women in Pakistan to start small-scale business ventures. Around 50 women will receive training and skills development, emerging as self-supporting individuals and equal partners of mainstream life on a gender-responsive basis.

The initiative will also produce an evidence-based research study on "Stimulating women's entrepreneurship through affirmative public and private procurement in Pakistan". The study will gather data on women-owned enterprises operating in the country. It will also identify and deepen the understanding of the challenges faced by women-owned businesses in the public and private procurement sphere and their capacity enhancement needs. It will also provide corporate organizations information and access to relevant women-owned businesses with potential for integration into corporate supply chains.

Sami Ahmed, Vice President, P&G Pakistan and Jamshed M. Kazi, UN Women Country Representative for Pakistan. Photo: UN Women

Speaking on the occasion, Sami Ahmed, Vice President P&G Pakistan said, "We are delighted to partner with the UN Women to empower Pakistani women. This is a new step in our journey to fulfill P&G's Gender Equality mission in the country."

"We aspire to build a better world, free from gender bias, with equal representation and an equal voice for women and men. We are creating an inclusive environment within the company where men and women can contribute to their full potential. We are helping remove gender-biased barriers by using our voice through advertising campaigns, enabling education for girls and supporting women's economic empowerment. Our partnership with UN Women symbolizes our renewed commitment to work towards the inclusion of women entrepreneurs in the country," he added.

Commenting on this partnership, Jamshed M. Kazi, UN Women Country Representative for Pakistan, said, "UN Women is committed to engaging with the private sector to enhance gender equality and accelerate progress in this area. In addition to socio-cultural barriers that hinder women's opportunity for mobility, education and skills to participate in the workforce on an equal footing, research indicates that inadequate data and women's unpaid work also impact their participation in the labour force. The lack of access to viable economic opportunities is one of the main factors that has prevented women from engaging in entrepreneurial activities. Moreover, women entrepreneurs have been largely excluded from this sizeable market due to lack of access to information on bids, understanding of procedures, and ability to meet requirements."

He further highlighted, "The findings of this study will serve as a powerful public procurement tool and will also be shared with key stakeholders in the country to aid in the formulation of policies to support women-owned enterprises. We are pleased that P&G has joined us in financially supporting this important cause along with the World Bank who will be providing the technical support in conducting the research study on gender and procurement."

This research will contribute to the overall objective of UN Women to enhance women's access to decent employment and entrepreneurship opportunities. According to data compiled by the World Bank, Pakistan is one of the bottom 10 countries with regards to the participation of women in the workforce. The percentage of women in the labour force is only 24 per cent and it falls to 12 per cent in urban areas.

UN Women's Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) Programme is currently being scaled up to all four provinces of Pakistan and FATA to support women and excluded groups to access income generating activities, formal employment and entrepreneurship opportunities. The programme will provide right-holders with capacity-building trainings, support in business development and financial literacy skills. Economic empowerment is a gateway to support women in exercising agency over their life, participating in decision-making, and accessing and controlling resources.