Pakistan to host OIC conference on women’s rights at UN headquarters next month

ISLAMABAD (Monitoring Desk) : Pakistan’s foreign office on Thursday announced to host a daylong conference on the rights of women in Islam from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) platform on March 8 at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

March 8 is globally celebrated as International Women’s Day, prompting civil society activists and other individuals to raise their voice in favor of reproductive rights, end to gender-based violence and other issues.

Pakistani women rights organizations also commemorate the day in all major urban centers while highlighting issues related to social discrimination and their safety in public and private spaces.

“Pakistan in its capacity as the chair of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers is hosting a one-day conference on ‘Women in Islam: Understanding the Rights and Identity of Women in the Islamic World’ on 8th March 2023 at the UN Headquarters on the sidelines of the 67th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women [CSW],” said foreign office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch during her weekly news briefing.

“The objective of the conference is to bridge the perception-reality gap on the rights of women in Islam and celebrate the experiences and successes of iconic Muslim women,” she continued. “The forum will aim to establish an annual policy dialogue on the margins of CSW to address challenges and explore opportunities to advance the role of women in OIC countries.”

Pakistan has also tried in the past to actively utilize the OIC forum to dispel any misperceptions related to Islam and Muslims internationally. It was instrumental in getting International Day to Combat Islamophobia institutionalized on March 15 along with other Muslim countries.

KILLING OF PALESTINIANS

The foreign office spokesperson also condemned the Israeli forces for killing 11 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus during a raid carried out on Wednesday that left dozens of others injured.

“We condemn all acts that lead to the killing of innocent civilians including in occupied Palestinian territory,” she said. “Pakistan’s position on Palestine is consistent and we support a comprehensive approach for resolving the issue.”

“We maintain that there should be a total withdrawal of Israel from the occupied territories including Jerusalem,” she continued.

Baloch said Palestinians should be allowed to exercise their right to self-determination, adding they should be able to live peacefully in their own state that is based on the “pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.”

“We also call upon the just resolution of the plight of Palestinian refugees in accordance to the UN resolutions,” she added.