In the realm of organizational dynamics, gender strategy assumes a pivotal role against inequality. Fairtrade NAPP is committed to driving change, fostering collaboration and synergy to address gender-related violence and uplift women. Fairtrade NAPP actively intervenes to remediate gender discrimination in both workplaces and operational domains. To amplify our commitment, Fairtrade NAPP has organized a 2-day training for Fairtrade Producers for developing organizations’ Gender Strategy with specific innovative activities to reach goals for gender equality within the organizations. 19 representatives, comprising both men and women selected from diverse producer organizations, actively engaged in the two-day workshop. The engagement was further enriched as two producers joined remotely, sharing invaluable insights on the significance of gender equality in the supply chain.
The training featured engaging interactive activities and presentations. It encompassed fundamental aspects of Gender Equality, exploring into the global and national landscape of gender gaps, and fostering discussions on strategies to mitigate workforce disparities. Comprising of interactive activities and presentations, the first day was dedicated to addressing the core tenets of gender equality, providing insights into the global and Pakistani contexts, scrutinizing gender gaps within supply chains, and conducting gender analysis. On the 2nd day, representatives acquired various conceptual clarity regarding Gender, connecting global perspectives with Pakistan’s specific challenges. Participants gained valuable insights on achieving gender balance within workplaces, organizations, and supply chains as well.
“Being part of Gender leadership school and represented Pakistan in youth strategy consultation, I feel honoured to become part of this consultation where we can share actual issues and suggest ways to make our set ups more gender inclusive and balanced.” Sundas Khalil, Vision technologies.
As a result, a country-level Gender Strategy will be crafted, serving as a valuable resource for Fairtrade NAPP’s producer organizations. These representatives will now disseminate the knowledge to their fellow producers and take the lead in adopting and implementing the gender strategy. Since 2022, the gender profiling by Fairtrade shed light on the nuanced gender dynamics within the organizations. Research supports this, indicating that when gender is no obstacle, job satisfaction and commitment thrive. This has been supported by research that indicate that employees tend to experience elevated levels of job satisfaction and demonstrate increased commitment to their professional responsibilities when they perceive that their gender as no barriers to opportunities and career advancement. Hence, such workshops play a crucial role in fostering gender equality in the workplace, contributing to improved employee well-being and heightened job satisfaction.
“It was great to see Fairtrade NAPP organizing a consultation around gender strategy, which has core importance in our industrial and agricultural setups. We look forward to this strategy devised and implemented in true spirits.” Mr Assad Bajwa, CEO, South Asia sourcing Pvt. limited.