‘Govt to provide equal opportunities to women’
By Hina Kiyani

ISLAMABAD—The government is committed to provide equal opportunities to women in every sphere to achieve prosperity and development of the country.
Director General, Directorate General of Special Education (DGSE) Ministry of Social Welfare and Special Education, Sarfraz Ahmed Syed said this while addressing at the concluding ceremony of a six-day long regional consultation and training of professionals on ‘Disaster Management and Risk Reduction’ at National Institute of Special Education (NISE) here Tuesday.
The event was organized by Ministry of Social Welfare and Special Education in collaboration with United Nations Development Fund for Women, South Asia, to bring together voices of women who have been affected by both natural and man made disaster and who have come out of this to share their experiences which will be useful to review and revisit recovery program.
Director DGSE Muhammad Fazil Cheema, Deputy Director NISE Shabbir Nawaz, representatives from various NGOs and Social Welfare Ministry, India and Sri Lanka were also present. Speaking on the occasion, Sarfraz Ahmed further said that women are active part of the society and their active participation is necessary for the development of the country.
He said the government is keen to enhance the capability of women to enable their active and visible participation in the political system and effective decision making from the household to the highest level of national public affairs. Director General said, “We are committed to adopt measures to make adequate provisions in order to expand, enhance and sustain access of women to the best possible facilities of health services, education, skill development, housing and social care.
Highlighting the role of Non-governmental organizations, he said they (NGOs) can contribute significantly to this concept of social progress. As part of their representative role, Sarfraz Syed said NGOs are will placed to convey the needs, aspirations and goals of the people to governments and decision makers. “The civil society organizations had played a vital role for the rehabilitation and welfare of disaster affectees”, he added.
About disaster management, he said it is not only for the immediate future but also well in the new millennium. Earlier, Muhammad Fazil Cheema said this regional meeting has been able to reflect women’s view point and look at their vulnerability as well their strength. He said the participants have recognized from their shared experiences that disasters affect women and men differently and impact women more adversely.
The trainees learned about risk assessment tools and social safety nets in the region: when they work and when they do not work in the recovery process. They also learned the participatory framework and methods in the context of disaster management.