MoWD asked to include nazim, naib nazim in training
By Hina Kiyani

ISLAMABAD—The donor agencies have asked Ministry of Women Development and Youth Affairs to involve male nazim and naib nazim in its training programme titled ‘Women’s Political School’ and strengthen district support network to ensure blessings of devolution of power at grassroots level.
An official told APP on Friday that Inter Agency Network for Gender and Development(INGAD) held a meeting with the ministry’s WPS officials in which the network was given a presentation by National Project Manager Rehana Hashmi on pace of progress of Ministry’s WPS project aimed at capacity building of 24,000 countrywide women councillors to effectively discharge their public duties at grassroots level. She said that representatives of the network appreciated the project for receiving positive feedback in which most of the councillors demanded their male fellows be also apprised about the project.
She added the network’s officials also called for reviewing the district support network mechanism to further strengthen coordination and cooperation among the local representatives of the people in the local government system to bring positive change in lives of the common person through the system.
When asked whether the same WPS’s syllabus would be used, if the ministry launched training programme for the male representatives, she said in addition to the existing training materials, some new concepts would be incorporated into the course, given the duties of nazim and naib nazim in the system.
To another question, she said that the ministry would utilize the services of the same trainers who were already imparting training to women councillors across the country under the United Nations Development Programme which had been funded by Norwegian government with $ 4.5 million. INGAD has taken the role of an advocacy agency, influencing governments and supporting gender mainstreaming efforts besides to bring gender issues to the forefront and end discrimination against women.