The Digital Inclusion Week organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Ministry of IT and Telecom Pakistan (MOITT)

On the occasion of digital inclusion week organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Ministry of IT and Telecom Pakistan (MOITT), Ms. Aalia Jafar, Director International Relations at ICCIA, presented her opening remarks by highlighting that the priority projects of the Islamic Chamber, that are in agriculture, financial inclusion, and cultural & creative economy all have been identified because they largely have women working in them who need support either in the form of financing or capacity building to develop their skills for better products and services, financial management, marketing, or access to international markets.

She further added that ICCIA’s focus in these areas will strengthen MSMEs as the key drivers of economic growth in the OIC region.

During the panel discussion, Ms. Jafar highlighted the role of the Islamic Chamber, as the largest representative of the private sector of the OIC countries, is proactively working in areas such as digital transformation, financial inclusion and agricultural sector which can play a critical role in supporting women. She also emphasized on how partnerships enable individuals and organizations to source knowledge, resources and most importantly provide access to the audiences to implement the programs and policies.

The panelists included some of the prominent personalities including Ms. Jehan Ara , Founder and Ceo at Katalyst lab, and Ms. Aiko Akiyama , Social Affairs Officer at United Nations ESCAP.