Tehran Islamabad underline boosting ties on women
Tehran, Islamabad underline boosting ties on women
TEHRAN – The Vice-President for Women and Family Affairs, Zahra Behrouz-Azar, and Pakistan’s Minister of Law and Justice, Azam Nazeer Tarar, have highlighted the need to enhance collaborations between the two countries in areas related to women.
The officials met on Sunday on the sidelines of the ninth Ministerial Conference on Women of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held in Islamabad, Pakistan, on July 12 and 13, Mehr news agency reported.
Both parties agreed to develop the historic, religious, cultural and brotherly relations between Pakistan and Iran and to undertake joint initiatives to promote women’s rights and empowerment.
Lauding Iran’s achievements in empowering women, Nazeer Tarar voiced Pakistan’s readiness to develop cooperation with Tehran and benefit from the country’s expertise in this sector.
The official highlighted Iran’s role in advancing OIC objectives, which aim to support women in addressing shared challenges, noting that “We need to work together to counter the Western media’s biased portrayal of women in Islamic nations”.
He called for the enhancement of ties between the two countries to convey the voice of women living under oppression, from Gaza, Palestine, Afghanistan, to Kashmir, to the international community.
For her part, Behrouz-Azar commended Pakistan’s unwavering support for the country during the US-Israeli imposed war, and said that the West constantly seeks to incite hatred against Islamic countries and portray a negative image of Muslim women; hence, we need a unified and coordinated strategy to restore the status of women in the Islamic world.
She also elaborated on Iran’s accomplishments in supporting women, their capacity, and their empowerment in various fields, highlighting their participation in the political, economic, educational, health, and social sectors.
The official went on to propose establishing a network of female rescuers in the Red Crescent in cooperation with Pakistan and other OIC member states.
The ninth Ministerial Conference on Women of the OIC, titled “Socio-Economic and Political Empowerment of Women in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Countries: Challenges and Way Forward”, brought together some 190 delegates from the 57 OIC member states.
The conference aimed to boost cooperation among member states on women’s empowerment by enhancing greater socio-economic and political participation across OIC member countries.
It is built on the outcomes of previous OIC ministerial meetings on women, particularly the one held in Cairo in 2021, which focused on women’s empowerment, protection frameworks and enhancing their socio-economic participation.
Women’s economic, social empowerment
The administration pays special attention to empowering women in social and economic areas, as well as improving their access to social services and facilities through implementing certain national programs.
According to Behrouz-Azar, more than 2,700 female managers were appointed in the country as deputy ministers, director generals, deputy director generals, governors, district governors, and heads of research institutes in the past two years.
“President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration has always highlighted the importance of national unity and empowering women. As a result, for the first time, we have Sunni female governors in the country,” IRNA quoted Behrouz-Azar as saying in August 2025.
The official went on to say that in Iranian year 1403 (2024 – 2025), efforts were made to identify and address harmful issues to women, including the bill on the elimination of violence against women, the hijab, and women riding motorcycles. Moreover, the vice-presidency for women and family affairs has offered loans and other facilities for childbearing.
Iran has always focused on programs that empower women, particularly those who are heads of household, economically and socially. Actions taken by the country have always aimed to promote women’s status by observing the principles of the constitution and Islamic teachings, she further noted.
Referring to the country’s remarkable achievements in education, health, science, technology, and entrepreneurship, she underscored the prominent role of Iranian women in these fields, Mehr news agency quoted Behrouz-Azar as saying in November 2024.
The official further said the seventh National Development Plan has stressed the need to overcome barriers to women’s professional development. Accordingly, the current administration has put supporting women’s entrepreneurship and home business growth on the agenda despite unfair sanctions.
MT/MG
source: tehrantimes.com