On June 25 in Lahore, a conference held on women’s leadership turned to the challenges facing emerging Pakistani women entrepreneurs. Pakistan’s Daily Times reports that speakers focused on a need to uplift the status of rural women “by developing skills in them to actualize their talent.”

Founder and Chairwoman of humanitarian organization CARE, Seema Aziz, was in attendance, speaking of obstacles such as social taboos and lack of access to education as inhibitors of women’s progress: “All these severely inhibit the ability of women to develop leadership and participation in the policy-making process. Compounded with these are the non-existent institutions that are supposed to act as facilitators to networking, mentorship and learning opportunities for women.” As the Daily Times describes, Aziz’s message to the women of Pakistan was that they never underestimate their capabilities.

The conference took place at a time when Pakistan is looking to “create active roles for women in the economic sphere,” as the Daily Times informs. Participants told the newspaper that they believe “the opportunities to create leadership for women entrepreneurs are manifold,” yet must be seized as part of a comprehensive effort to make progress on women’s leadership and women’s rights in Pakistan.

Women’s Leadership Conference: ‘Pakistan facing challenge of creating active role for women’-Daily Times