Pakistan

A total of 11,826 women are more economically resilient through multiple-interventions including access to resources, capacity building initiatives and information sessions, linkage and network facilitation tailored to address the needs of women, thus creating systems and environment benefiting not only them but also their communities and economies as a whole. Of which, 5,000 women have better access to financial services and products through the established crucial market connections with microfinance institutions including microfinance banks and online platforms. An increase by 73% in income of women has been witnessed which was PKR 6170 at the baseline. 3400 of these women have now opened bank accounts and maintain digital wallets. To further enhance women�s leadership and collective bargaining capabilities, 11,500 women were organized into groups through organizational empowerment efforts, led to emergence of 450 women leaders in their respective communities, becoming source of emulation for others. Women have improved vocational and marketable skills as well as digital literacy to improve their products and scale up their business. A total of 3,000 women home-based workers (WHBWs) are equipped with marketable skills through improved access to technical and vocational trainings. In addition, more than 5,000 women were trained in digital literacy, providing essential digital skills out of which 35% now use social media to promote their businesses. 6,000 women were reached through legal rights awareness initiatives, informing on human/legal rights and referral mechanisms. Realizing key roles of men and boy allies, following the awareness initiatives, 535 male champions across 10 districts were identified to promote pro-women laws and combat community violence. Despite facing political instability, market price disparities, awareness gaps, limited loan accessibility, infrastructure barriers, cultural norms, and policy implementation challenges, women demonstrated remarkable progress on economic empowerment and resilience. The project end-line results indicated that 94.1% of households were reported to receive knowledge on ending violence against women through community sessions and awareness campaigns. These results contribute to the SDG 5-gender equality and SDG 8- decent works particularly related to the factors such as job security, social protection, and workplace safety. It also contributes to Outcome 2- Gender equality and women�s empowerment o

A total of 11,500 women operating from their homes were registered in the Home-Based Workers (HBWs) database and 22,200 women and girls obtained the Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) and other civic documents enabling them to access education, health care, legal protections and economic opportunities including access to markets. This has enabled the opportunities to engage in market, thus improving their income by 30%. Given women�s limited mobility and the prevalent gendered norms around domestic responsibilities, home-based work can provide an opportunity for women to enter the workforce. Home-based work predominantly takes place in the informal sector, leading to disadvantages particularly a lack of social protection benefits. The limited mobility also results in a lack of documentation enabling women to access social security programs. UN Women emphasizes connecting women with key institutions through facilitating women to obtain CNICs from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and registration of women HBWs in the database operated by the Ministry of Labour to ensure women have access to resources and opportunities. This has led to the gender-responsive policies and programs being initiated to reach out and provide supports to marginalized women. The UN system coordination was leveraged through the KP and Balochistan HBWs Study 2022-23 initiated by the World Bank and the provincial governments and finalised in collaboration with UN Women. The study contributed to effective implementation of the HBWs Law in three provinces in collaboration with the provincial labour departments of Balochistan, Sindh and KP. UN Women partnered with local organization such as Baidarie and Kaarvan Crafts Foundation in reaching the marginalized women, especially in rural and underdeveloped areas. UN Women also engaged male advocates through awareness-raising on gender equality and women�s empowerment to advocate for women�s rights to reshape societal perceptions. These results contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 5 - gender equality and SDG 8 - decent works particularly related to the factors such as job security, social protection, and workplace safety. It also contributes to Outcome 2 - Gender equality and women�s empowerment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, specifically Indicator 2.5 - Female labour force participation rate and Indicator 2.5.1 - Percentage increase in the income of women as well as Outcome 4 on Women�s equitable access to services, goods and resources of UN Women�s Strategic Plan and Output 5 on Women and girls benefit from a rights-based, gender responsive conducive environment that ensures their active participation in and benefit from the economy of the Strategic Note of Pakistan Country Office by working directly with HBWs in removing barriers to access resources and welfare through supporting women�s registration for CNIC despite of limited mobility.