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www.mehergarh.org
Principal partner for a volunteer based organization focused on training and research aimed at issues surrounding human rights activism for youth. The key areas of the responsibility include advocating a focus on youth and women in government policy, advocacy for gender friendly changes in government legislation and regulations, training young leaders for active citizenship and civil society initiatives and encouraging the application of rights-based approaches in grass roots organizations. From 2005, we have maintained a large commitment to the plight of Hindu women in slavery in southern Pakistan.
I created and managed the secretariat for AASHA, an alliance of NGOs working against sexual harassment, beginning in 2000. I secured EC funding for the secretariat operations. I played a key role in building its institutional capacity and taking a lead in developing and propagating policy level changes. AASHA developed a sexual harassment policy and encouraged the private sector institutions to adopt it. The number of organizations and institutions with a sexual harassment policy went from zero to two hundred and fifty in two years. In 2008, I have had a series of meetings with the Pakistan Minister of Law and Senate Chairman to finalize legislation making sexual harassment a punishable offense in the civil service and private sector. A bill was passed by the Pakistani Cabinet on 5 November as a direct result of my efforts.
Action Aid is a human rights-based non-government organization working in 30 countries. As head of the Pakistan country office I was responsible for setting the overall vision and strategic direction of the annual $2 million program and its day-to-day management. The program is composed of both grass roots organizational development work in thirteen remote rural areas of the country as well as policy and advocacy work with provincial and national government, private sector and other key decision makers. (Please view the Strategic Framework on our website for program details.) My management responsibilities included goal-setting, guidance and capacity building for 70 staff and over 30 partner organizations located all over the country. My position also required active involvement in international campaigns and programs. More detail is given below:
I led the process of developing a Country Strategy Plan (CSP) in a participatory manner from a human rights perspective. This entailed working with several levels of civil society, grass roots level community representatives and strategic partners at the national and international level. Policy analysis and policy development was also part of the work. Among the key program areas where I made significant personal contributions are: creating a national movement on sexual harassment in the workplace, creating a coalition of small farmers, and promoting a major new program on cultural action for change.
Upon taking up my duties, I focused on developing a competent and committed team of senior management. Together, we restructured the office to ensure that the organization was efficiently organized and positioned to achieve the objectives we identified in the CSP. With their help I was able to change the entire organizational environment from one where staff saw themselves doing a job, to one where they became trained activists and responsible citizens. The entire staff has become involved in all the major initiatives and campaigns. From senior management to office drivers, everyone is involved in contributing directly to the joint efforts. I also successfully decentralized the organization, setting up effective provincial offices in Lahore and Karachi.
Twenty-five percent of my time was committed for international work. I took on the regional thematic responsibility for education and ran the global campaign on education by strategizing on the most effective approach to lobbying for the Dakar goals, and promoted the Millennium Development Goal structure as an underpinning of the global program. Later, I took on the responsibility for Gender in the Asia Region and connected the country and regional initiatives with the organization’s global work. In addition, I was actively involved with the ActionAid global policy group in defining the corporate stance on critical issues.
Created and managed a UNDP Program Unit focusing on gender disparities in Pakistan. Responsibilities include managing the Gender Unit, designing managing and backstopping catalytic projects and supporting policy initiatives. I developed the first Country Office gender strategy for UNDP and designed specific projects that created a precedent in the donor community for rights based strategic interventions.
Responsibilities included initiating, managing & backstopping programs related to women’s issues, lobbying & advocacy with the Government and networking with NGOs and other donors. Also, continued the preparatory work for the Beijing conference under UNIFEM.
Coordinated eight international donor agencies in preparing the Pakistan Delegation for the 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing. Coordinated with the Ministry of Women’s Development and NGOs all over the country in developing a joint agenda for the Conference. Requested to shift to UNIFEM to complete the work.
Main responsibilities included administering, monitoring & backstopping the $6 million portfolio of AKF education projects all over Pakistan, particularly in the Northern Areas.
Managed a staff of twelve (4 Program Officers, 3 Researchers, 2 Library staff and 3 support staff). Coordinated the Research Program focusing on women in traditional culture.
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