Naval Chief lauds role of women in Pak Navy on World Maritime Day

KARACHI: On the occasion of World Maritime Day 2019, International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted the theme ‘Empowering Women in the Maritime Community’ to raise awareness on the importance of gender equality in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.

World Maritime Day is celebrated each year to highlight the contributions of the International Maritime Industry in the World’s economy and to focus attention on the importance of shipping safety, maritime security and marine environment.

Speaking in the event Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi hailed the contributions of women in the Maritime Sector, whereas he also underscored that the potential remained largely underutilized in the World and Pakistan was no exception.

“It requires all maritime nations to create environment and career development opportunities for women in maritime administration, ports, and maritime training institutes,” said the Naval Chief.

“Empowering women fuels economies spurs productivity and enhances growth, thus benefiting every stakeholder associated with the global maritime community.”

“As the CPEC is set in motion, maritime activities in Pakistan are bound to increase manifold. There is a need to capitalize on the associated economic opportunities which would only be possible by building the capacity of our Maritime Sector.”

“Women, constituting about half of our population, to maritime-related fields would, therefore, help in accruing long term benefits from our maritime potential,” he added

Pakistan Navy fully supports the growth of the Maritime Sector in the country and is leading the way in raising maritime awareness; a fundamental pre-requisite for maritime development. This is being pursued through a vigorous Maritime Awareness Campaign Plan which includes engagement with all stakeholders to enhance their knowledge about potentials of our Blue Economy, said the Naval Chief in conclusion.

Pakistan Navy pledged its full support towards the development of Maritime Sector in Pakistan and empowerment of women in various maritime-related fields.