Fauzia Viqar , Ombudsperson

Ms. Fauzia Viqar, Federal Ombudsperson for Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace, Government of Pakistan is an expert on women's rights and empowerment, recognized widely in Pakistan and globally. As the founding Chairperson of the Punjab Commission on the Status of Women, she led policy and legislative reform to eliminate discrimination/violence against women and placed gender equality at the core of government processes. Previously she has worked in renowned women’s rights organization in Pakistan for advocacy and research on women’s empowerment and human rights. In Canada, she was an Advisor on human rights with the Ministry of Community Safety, Government of Ontario, Canada. She teaches human rights and pro-women laws/measures in government academies and in civil society organizations. She has been an advisor to large Governance, Accountability and Inclusion Programs across Pakistan where she worked with the government and international organizations including UN agencies. Ms. Viqar has contributed to development of a culture of gender disaggregated data collection for evidence informed policy making in Pakistan through specialized digital platforms (Punjab Gender MIS) and surveys. She has also introduced successful models for promoting women’s leadership (Women in Leadership), economic empowerment (job portal and women’s business incubator) and, rehabilitation of survivors of violence (Transitional Housing) women. She has served on many non-profit, Public sector and Corporate Boards.