14 July’s Islamabad launch of the Pakistan Women Leaders (PWL) Mentorship Programme, Leading the Future: Empowering Women Through Mentorship in Political Leadership, brought together Pakistani state institutions, elected leaders, and international partners around a shared goal: building a durable on-ramp for young women into political life.
Funded by the European Union and delivered jointly by UN Women, UNDP, and the Trust for Democratic Education and Accountability (TDEA), it reflects the kind of collaborative model PAYF has long argued Pakistan’s youth sector needs more of, and it’s worth examining closely, not just announcing.
The Numbers, and What they Actually Build
UN Women’s Fahmida Iqbal laid out the architecture plainly: over 1,700 aspiring women leaders across 57 districts will go through leadership bootcamps designed to build knowledge, confidence, and networks that outlast the programme itself.
From that base, 170 will be selected into an intensive mentorship track, paired directly with women who have already built careers navigating Pakistan’s political institutions. It is a pipeline built deliberately for national scale, reaching well beyond Pakistan’s major cities into 57 districts.
The EU’s Dr. Sebastien Lorion framed the funding as part of a broader partnership with Pakistan on democratic governance, while TDEA’s Shahid Fiaz called near-parity political representation a reflection of the country’s own demographic makeup, women are roughly half of Pakistan’s population, and an investment in its next generation of leadership.
A Welcoming State, Actively Engaged
The presence of the Election Commission of Pakistan at the launch is the detail worth underlining. Nighat Siddique, the Commission’s Director General for Gender and Social Inclusion, welcomed the programme as the bridge between the political rights Pakistani women hold and the structured preparation that turns those rights into public leadership.
A state regulatory body engaging directly and publicly with an internationally funded programme is a strong signal: Pakistan’s institutions are not just accommodating this kind of initiative, they are actively partnering in it.
Dr. Shahida Rehmani, Secretary of the Women Parliamentary Caucus, closed the event addressing participants directly, telling them their leadership would be defined by purpose and service. Her presence alongside sitting parliamentarians shows this being treated by Pakistan’s current women legislators as an extension of their own work, building the next generation of leadership within, and alongside, existing political institutions.
Nighat Siddique, Director General for Gender and Social Inclusion at the Election Commission of Pakistan.Dr. Sebastien Lorion, Acting Head of Cooperation at the European Union Delegation to Pakistan.Fahmida Iqbal, Deputy Country Director, UN Women Pakistan.Dr. Shahida Rehmani, Secretary of the Women Parliamentary Caucus, Pakistan.
Why this Matters for Pakistan’s Youth Sector
The programme’s outreach priorities speak directly to PAYF’s own constituency: young women, local councillors, civil society activists, and, explicitly, women from religious minorities, women with disabilities, and rural communities.
A structured, EU-backed programme reaching 57 districts extends the reach of mentorship, networks, and preparation to communities and young leaders who stand to benefit most, complementing the institutional openings Pakistan’s state has already created through reserved seats and expanding party engagement.
With local government and the next general election cycle ahead, a cohort of 170 mentored women emerging from this programme adds a genuine, ready bench of capable candidates, a resource political parties, institutions, and platforms like PAYF can all help carry forward.
Nominations are open now. PAYF encourages young women across its networks, and allied organizations, to apply here and help circulate this opportunity.
Why the PWL Mentorship Launch Deserves Pakistan’s Youth Sector’s Full Attention
14 July’s Islamabad launch of the Pakistan Women Leaders (PWL) Mentorship Programme, Leading the Future: Empowering Women Through Mentorship in Political Leadership, brought together Pakistani state institutions, elected leaders, and international partners around a shared goal: building a durable on-ramp for young women into political life.
Funded by the European Union and delivered jointly by UN Women, UNDP, and the Trust for Democratic Education and Accountability (TDEA), it reflects the kind of collaborative model PAYF has long argued Pakistan’s youth sector needs more of, and it’s worth examining closely, not just announcing.
The Numbers, and What they Actually Build
UN Women’s Fahmida Iqbal laid out the architecture plainly: over 1,700 aspiring women leaders across 57 districts will go through leadership bootcamps designed to build knowledge, confidence, and networks that outlast the programme itself.
From that base, 170 will be selected into an intensive mentorship track, paired directly with women who have already built careers navigating Pakistan’s political institutions. It is a pipeline built deliberately for national scale, reaching well beyond Pakistan’s major cities into 57 districts.
The EU’s Dr. Sebastien Lorion framed the funding as part of a broader partnership with Pakistan on democratic governance, while TDEA’s Shahid Fiaz called near-parity political representation a reflection of the country’s own demographic makeup, women are roughly half of Pakistan’s population, and an investment in its next generation of leadership.
A Welcoming State, Actively Engaged
The presence of the Election Commission of Pakistan at the launch is the detail worth underlining. Nighat Siddique, the Commission’s Director General for Gender and Social Inclusion, welcomed the programme as the bridge between the political rights Pakistani women hold and the structured preparation that turns those rights into public leadership.
A state regulatory body engaging directly and publicly with an internationally funded programme is a strong signal: Pakistan’s institutions are not just accommodating this kind of initiative, they are actively partnering in it.
Dr. Shahida Rehmani, Secretary of the Women Parliamentary Caucus, closed the event addressing participants directly, telling them their leadership would be defined by purpose and service. Her presence alongside sitting parliamentarians shows this being treated by Pakistan’s current women legislators as an extension of their own work, building the next generation of leadership within, and alongside, existing political institutions.
Why this Matters for Pakistan’s Youth Sector
The programme’s outreach priorities speak directly to PAYF’s own constituency: young women, local councillors, civil society activists, and, explicitly, women from religious minorities, women with disabilities, and rural communities.
A structured, EU-backed programme reaching 57 districts extends the reach of mentorship, networks, and preparation to communities and young leaders who stand to benefit most, complementing the institutional openings Pakistan’s state has already created through reserved seats and expanding party engagement.
With local government and the next general election cycle ahead, a cohort of 170 mentored women emerging from this programme adds a genuine, ready bench of capable candidates, a resource political parties, institutions, and platforms like PAYF can all help carry forward.
Nominations are open now. PAYF encourages young women across its networks, and allied organizations, to apply here and help circulate this opportunity.
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