The event was organised by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) and funded by the European Union, as part of an ongoing programme of technical assistance to Pakistan’s border management agencies. Monika Weber and Barbora Vegrichtová of the Czech Republic have been working as ICMPD experts with Pakistani institutions since the launch of the programme in 2017.

To mark International Women’s Day on 8 March, Ambassador Tomáš Smetánka together with Deputy Head of the European Union Delegation Thomas Seiler and Director for Training of the Federal Investigation Agency Dr. Athar Waheed addressed the female officers.

The Czech Ambassador acknowledged the initiatives of Pakistani law-enforcement agencies, supported by international organisations, to increase women’s participation in their ranks. However, raising the number of female officers to figures comparable to the region’s average, which itself would be a great achievement, would not suffice: it is no less imperative to cultivate an environment enabling women to fully develop their potential and pursue their careers as their male colleagues do.

Efforts by Pakistan’s border management agencies, EU and ICMPD to strengthen gender mainstreaming will continue throughout the year, with further workshops for senior border officers and management of border agencies planned, with the aim of preparing recommendations for further strengthening the role that female officers play in managing Pakistan’s borders.