Business Desk
ISLAMABAD—Islamabad Expo 2012 kicked off on Saturday in the Jinnah Convention Centre with women from across the country participating in it. Many government institutions, leading banks, companies and UN is participating in the event organised by Islamabad Women's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IWCCI) to help women attain economic freedom.
The items displayed in the expo included handmade garments, arts and crafts, home decor, jewellery, furniture, wallets, mobile covers and decoration pieces and foods representing every part and culture of Pakistan.
Secretary Production Gul Muhammad Rind, CEO PASDEC Ehsanullah, Ambassador of Ukraine to Pakistan Volodymyr Lakomov, UN Resident Coordinator Timo Pakkala, Unido Country Head Shadia Yousif Bakhait spoke on the occasion. They ensured all out support to the women empowerment initiatives and promised to do their best to ensure wider representation of women in all spheres of life.
We will encourage, build capacity, and improve visibility of women through close cooperation, they said. The speakers said that gender should be identified as a priority issue by donor agencies and hoped that such events will regularly take place.
Speaking at the occasion, founder President IWCCI Samina Fazil and present President IWCCI Alia Akram said that their visitor friendly expo is all about empowering women. They said that we will continue to support networking and helping women grow their businesses to successful levels. We strive to offer opportunities to gain support from and to give support to other women, they said.
Samina Fazil and Alia Akram said that we are all about educating women to make the most of their skills and teaching them to utilize the businesses around them. They said women entrepreneurs should learn how to gain customers and an audience through this platform. Such expos help society acknowledge the services and achievements of women, said Samina Fazil.
