ISLAMABAD: Australian gender equality advocate Elizabeth Broderick Monday arrived in Pakistan on a visit to engage business leaders on promoting gender equality at workplace. Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan Margaret Adamson welcomed Elizabeth Broderick. Broderick, a former sex discrimination commissioner in Australia, is the co-chair of UN Global Compact Women’s Empowerment Principles; special adviser to Under-Secretary UN Women on private sector engagement and founder of the ‘Male Champions of Change’ initiative. While welcoming the advocate, High Commissioner Adamson said that gender equality and women’s empowerment were a core element of Australia’s foreign policy and underpinned the Australian government’s development partnerships with Pakistan and the world at large.”Australia’s aid investments in Pakistan are designed to ensure that women benefit from all our economic growth-related programmes,” she said. Broderick is scheduled to visit Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi to share her experience and discuss the business case for gender equality. The Australian advocate will build on initiatives already gaining traction among businesses in Pakistan, including the UN Women Empowerment Principles. She will also meet women lawmakers, government officials and representatives of UN agencies and the World Bank and lead discussions on accelerating economic growth and innovation in Pakistan by harnessing the talent and potential of women. Speaking on the occasion, Broderick welcomed the opportunity to meet Pakistan’s private sector leaders and prominent women representatives. “Gender equality and women’s economic participation are key social and economic issues for both the nations. I am looking forward to meet business leaders and other influential men and women to share innovative strategies, learn from each other and discuss how to accelerate the pace of change,” she said. Published in Daily Times, August 8th 2017.