MURREE: The four-day “Young Women Leaders Summit 2025,” a collaborative effort between Meinhardt Pakistan and The Natives, concluded here on Tuesday at the Pakistan Red Crescent Centre, with a renewed pledge to integrate gender empowerment into the region’s development framework.
The summit, held in connection with the global ’16 Days of Activism’ campaign, brought together dynamic young women from the Newly Merged Districts (NMDs) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
These participants, identified as active change agents, underwent intensive training aimed at equipping them to lead social transformation in their respective communities.
Addressing the closing ceremony as the Chief Guest, Country Head of Meinhardt Pakistan, Muhammad Yousaf Gandapur, termed the inclusion of women as non-negotiable for sustainable development.
“Meinhardt Pakistan, through the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rural Investment and Institutional Support Project (KP-RIISP), is not just building infrastructure; we are committed to building resilient communities,”
Mr. Gandapur said. “We recognize that the women of the merged districts have shown immense resilience in the face of hardship.
Our partnership in this summit reflects our strategic vision to ensure that the most vulnerable segments of society are not left behind but are active drivers of the development narrative in the tribal districts.”
The summit featured a series of technical sessions designed to bridge the gap between policy and grassroots reality.
Muzaffar Aziz, Team Lead for KP-RIISP, conducted a session on ‘Safe Spaces and Gender-Based Violence (GBV),’ providing a comprehensive overview of the KP-RIISP project. He emphasized that establishing safe spaces is critical for fostering community resilience and ensuring women can participate safely in public life.
Saima Saeed, Gender Specialist for KP-RIISP, led a sensitization workshop on ‘Sexual Abuse and Sexual Harassment (SEAH).’ Her session focused on equipping participants with the knowledge to identify, prevent, and report abuse, ensuring safer environments for women in the NMDs.
Furad Ali, Managing Director of The Natives, spoke on ‘Women Rights in Islam, Religion, and Culture,’ engaging participants in a dialogue to dispel misconceptions and highlighting how cultural and religious frameworks support the dignity and rights of women.
The final technical session, ‘Facilitation Skills for Social Action Projects,’ was delivered by Asif Khan, Social Specialist for KP-RIISP. He trained the participants on practical community mobilization techniques, preparing them to execute impactful projects on the ground.
These trained young leaders will now return to their districts to launch Social Action Projects (SAPs). In a strategic move to ensure sustainability, these SAPs will directly target the beneficiaries of the KP-RIISP project. By disseminating the learnings from the summit, these young women will act as the bridge between the development project and the community, sensitizing women at the grassroots level about their rights, roles, and the developmental opportunities available to them.
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