Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Sindh’s Director Operations, Imdad Hussain Siddiqui, emphasized the importance of genderresponsive and climateresilient interventions in humanitarian scenarios. Speaking as the chief guest at a consultation workshop titled “Capacity Assessment and Capacity Development of WomenLed Grass root Level Organizations in the Humanitarian Context in Pakistan”, organized by UN Women in collaboration with PDMA Sindh, Mr. Siddiqui highlighted the critical role of women in addressing humanitarian challenges.
The workshop, held on Tuesday in Karachi, brought together womenled organizations from various districts of Sindh to discuss and strategize on enhancing their capacities in the face of climateinduced and disasterrelated crises. In his remarks, Mr. Siddiqui reaffirmed PDMA’s commitment to addressing the needs of vulnerable groups, particularly women and children, as part of its core mandate. ‘We at PDMA have always ensured that issues concerning women and children receive priority attention,’ he stated. He expressed his gratitude to UN Women for their dedicated efforts and responsiveness, further acknowledging the vital collaboration of UN agencies, civil society organizations, and local communities in managing humanitarian situations effectively.
Siddiqui stressed the significance of these partnerships in overcoming the challenges posed by disasters, climate change, and other humanitarian crises. ‘Without the collective support of UN agencies, civil society implementing partners, and the communities we serve, addressing humanitarian challenges becomes exceedingly difficult,’ he noted. The event served as a platform for the exchange of knowledge, experiences, and best practices aimed at empowering womenled organizations to better navigate and respond to humanitarian emergencies, while ensuring that interventions are inclusive and gendersensitive.