Ombudsperson’s Profile

Ms. Fauzia Viqar, Federal Ombudsperson for Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace, is an expert on women’s rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment, with extensive experience in policy, legislation, advocacy and institutional reform in Pakistan and internationally.

She is the Chair of the OICOA Sub-Committee on Women’s Rights, with the Federal Ombudsperson Secretariat for Protection Against Harassment (FOSPAH) serving as its Secretariat. The Sub-Committee brings together OIC member state ombudsman institutions to strengthen cooperation and advance women’s rights.

As the founding Chairperson of the Punjab Commission on the Status of Women, Ms. Viqar led policy and legislative reforms to address discrimination and violence against women and place gender equality within government processes.

Previously, she worked with leading women’s rights organisations in Pakistan on advocacy and research related to women’s empowerment and human rights. In Canada, she served as a Human Rights Advisor with the Ministry of Community Safety, Government of Ontario. She has taught human rights and pro-women laws and measures at government academies and civil society organisations and has advised major governance, accountability and inclusion programmes across Pakistan, working with government and international organisations, including UN agencies.

Ms. Viqar has contributed to strengthening gender-disaggregated data collection for evidence-informed policymaking in Pakistan through digital platforms such as the Punjab Gender MIS and specialised surveys. She has also introduced models supporting women’s leadership, economic empowerment and the rehabilitation of survivors of violence, including Women in Leadership, a women’s business incubator, a job portal and Transitional Housing. She has served on several non-profit, public sector and corporate boards.

In 2023, Ms. Viqar received the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Award for Advancing Gender Equality in Pakistan.