On the occasion of National Working Women’s Day, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) honors the invaluable contributions of Pakistani women in strengthening democracy and fostering political stability. Women, constituting nearly half of the country's population, are pivotal in achieving lasting peace and prosperity through equal participation in electoral processes. The ECP remains steadfast in its constitutional mandate to conduct elections honestly, justly, and fairly. Over recent years, the Commission has taken significant strides to address challenges faced by women as voters and candidates. A notable milestone has been the reduction of the gender gap in electoral rolls from over 11.7% in 2018 to 7.49%—a remarkable achievement within five years. Importantly, more women than men were added to the electoral rolls during this period, reflecting growing awareness and participation. The ECP aims to eliminate this gap entirely in the upcoming elections. To enhance women's representation as candidates, a critical legal reform requires political parties to allocate 5% of their tickets to women. However, the ECP recognizes the need for further reforms and stricter accountability measures to ensure compliance and greater ticket allocation for women. The ECP is also committed to fostering inclusivity within its workforce. Efforts to increase the representation of women as staff and election officers and ensure a discrimination- and harassment-free workplace remain a top priority. ECP takes pride in being one of the pioneering institutions in Pakistan and the Asia region to adopt the country’s first-ever “Gender Mainstreaming and Social Inclusion Framework.” This groundbreaking framework provides a strategic vision to empower women, girls, minorities, transgender persons, and persons with disabilities. Complementing this initiative, the ECP has introduced Gender-Responsive Budget Planning to ensure equitable resource allocation. On this National Working Women’s Day, the Honorable Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan urges all women across the country, especially young girls, to actively participate in elections as voters and candidates. Their active engagement is vital to building a democratic, peaceful, and prosperous Pakistan. MESSAGE OF THE HON. CEC ON THE NATIONAL WORKING WOMEN DAY, 22 DECEMBER 2024 On this important National Working Women’s Day, I take immense pride in acknowledging the invaluable contributions of the women of Pakistan in strengthening democracy. Lasting peace and political stability, essential for national prosperity, are only achievable when women—who constitute nearly 50% of the population—participate equally in electoral processes. The Election Commission of Pakistan remains committed in its constitutional mandate to conducting elections honestly, justly, and fairly. In recent years, we have made significant progress in addressing the challenges women face as voters and candidates. Through focused efforts, the gender gap in electoral rolls has been reduced from over 11.7 percent in 2018 to 7.49 percent, a remarkable achievement within five years. Encouragingly, during this period, more women than men were added to the electoral rolls. Our goal is to eliminate this gap entirely in the coming elections. To enhance women’s representation as candidates, the legal reform requiring political parties to allocate 5% of their tickets to women was an important step. However, we are cognizant of the fact that further reforms and stricter accountability measures are needed to ensure compliance and an increased ticket reservation by political for women candidates. ECP is also committed to fostering inclusivity within its workforce by increasing the representation of women as staff and election officers and ensuring a discrimination- and harassment-free workplace. I am proud to share that the ECP is one of the pioneering institutions in Pakistan and the Asia region to adopt Pakistan’s first-ever “Gender Mainstreaming and Social Inclusion Framework.” This framework provides a strategic vision to empower women, girls, minorities, transgender persons, and persons with disabilities. Alongside this, the ECP has introduced Gender-Responsive Budget Planning to ensure fair and equitable resource distribution. On this important day, I urge all women, particularly young girls, to actively participate in elections as voters and candidates, inspiring others to do the same. Your participation is vital for the peace, stability, and democracy of Pakistan.
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