P&G Pakistan commits to bold actions to drive Gender Equality

PAKISTAN, March 5, 2021 – P&G Pakistan today announced new declarations aimed to propel gender equality at an event held today, following the success of its third annual #WeSeeEqual summit held in Singapore last month. Hosted virtually, the event saw distinguished advocates and personalities from the media and private sector come together to address the challenges of gender and women’s equality in Pakistan, to mark the beginning of the global Equality & Inclusion month.

Built on the theme ‘Social Trends & Gender Norms’, the event brought together leading local voices on Gender Equality to challenge the current discourse and commit to the actions needed for progress. P&G Pakistan’s CEO & Senior Vice President, Sami Ahmed, announced that P&G Pakistan will be implementing ‘Share the Care’, a new parental leave policy that was recently announced globally. Under the ‘Share the Care’ program, all new fathers will be entitled to a minimum of 8 weeks’ fully paid leave. This will have a wide range of benefits that can improve development outcomes, including health and economic benefits to the mother, more equitable division of household labor and increased child bonding.

Speaking at the occasion, Sami Ahmed said: “Under the banner of #WeSeeEqual, we reaffirm our commitment with the aim of improving the society, celebrating and embracing both women and men to create a more equal, world inside and outside of P&G. We have made great progress on gender equality in the country with a number of initiatives that are running successfully to progress women’s economic empowerment and equality, in education, in the home and in the workplace. At P&G, we will keep using the voice of our company to spark and motivate actions on issues that matter.”

The acknowledgement of societal and family challenges, the importance of equality-based policies, the recognition of stereotypical expectations of men, and the role of advertising and media in changing bias were some of the topics discussed in the panel, which was moderated by celebrity activist and TV show host, Sidra Iqbal. To inspire the audience, the event brought together Sultana Siddiqui, Founder & President HUM Network Ltd., Sarim Sheikh, COO Offshore Wind GE Global, Maria Siddiqui, CFO P&G Pakistan, Sadia Dada Chief Communications & Marketing Officer and Muniba Mazari, Motivational Speaker and Pakistan’s First Goodwill Ambassador to UNWomen Pakistan to share their experiences and insights to challenge rigid gender roles and empower both men and women.

The #WeSeeEqual program demonstrates P&G’s continued commitment to create a more equal world and was recently recognized with the U.S. Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence for Women’s Empowerment. P&G is advancing gender equality through various initiatives region-wide as part of its ongoing commitment to equality and inclusion and is part of the Company’s efforts to deliver ‘2021 Acts of Good in 2021. As one of the world’s largest advertisers, P&G and its brands will also continue to leverage their influential voice in media and advertising to drive further awareness, tackle gender bias, spark conversations and motivate change. At the regional level, the Company has made the following declarations:

• P&G will educate more than 30 million adolescent girls on puberty and hygiene across Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, through its Always and Whisper ‘Keeping Girls in School’ program over the next three years.

• P&G is committed to spending a cumulative total of $200 million US dollars by deliberately working with women-owned businesses across the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa region, by 2025.

• P&G is committed to achieve a 50-50 gender balance across its management workforce in Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa by the end of calendar year 2022.

P&G is also a member of the US-Pakistan Women's Council (USPWC) in its mission to promote the economic participation of women in the workforce in Pakistan. As the founding member of the USPWC's corporate initiative. In partnership with Health Oriented Preventive Education (HOPE) and READ Foundation, P&G has provided quality education to nearly thousands of girls from underprivileged communities in Pakistan. Furthermore, P&G brands have been committed to empowering women and young girls with confidence in Pakistan through campaigns such as the #AlwaysAzaad, #MyFutureStartsToday and Karo Yaqeen as well as Pantene #StrongIsBeautiful, Pampers #DadsCanChange and Ariel #WorkForHome.

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