Conference Equips Participants with Tools for Inclusive Leadership
Asfandyar Khattak works on advancing quality education in the town of Nowshera. Being a person with disability, he has a firm belief in pursuing an inclusive approach. This is why when he found out about a conference being organized on the principle theme of “no one left behind”, he quickly enrolled to engage and empower himself with knowledge from experts in the field of inclusive development and disability rights.
“This training was something completely new for me!” he exclaims after attending the five-day conference. “The sessions helped me understand how I can take action on my dreams.”
The conference “Leadership Training on Inclusive Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Universal Periodic Review (UPR)” was held in Islamabad from October 13-18, 2016. Led by Global Undergraduate Exchange Program alumna Sumaira Bibi, the conference agenda was aligned to the theme of the 2030 development agenda. Through this conference, Bibi curated talks by leading experts in the field of education, gender, inclusion, disability rights, legislation, and policy to harness capacity of 40 participants from Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
This project was made possible with the help of an alumni small grant from the Pakistan-U. S. Alumni Network (PUAN). All alumni of various U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs in Pakistan are eligible to apply for the grant of up to $5,000 USD to enable them to give back to their communities.
Championing Inclusion through Interactive Workshops
“For me, this was the first time that a discussion on SDGs took place with an audience that included persons with disabilities and the non-disabled population – together. This helped us communicate issues that persons with disabilities face, and as a result, helped both of our groups understand and empathize with each other,” says Afshan Afridi, a participant at the conference.
The conference held sessions on what are SDGs, adopting more inclusive approaches under the umbrella of SDGs and UPR, and empowered participants to take on leading roles as advocates of inclusive development on all platforms.
Maria Zia comments, “I really did not know much about SDGs. Over the past five days, I not only learned what are SDGs but how I can practically work on these goals.”
In the same vein, Ayesha Arshad adds, “I know now how I can utilize my strength to work on the goal of promoting gender equality.”
Trainers paid special attention to organizing sessions that were interactive and engaging. Farah’s session was a unique networking experience for all with all the participants turning a thread into a knot as part of a team building exercise. In another session led by Mehrin, participants took part in a focus group on harassment to better understand gender sensitivity. Ahmad Qazi’s session on key statistics on quality education was an eye-opener for all.
Saeed, who completed his Master’s in Sociology from Leeds College, felt a major change in himself after the conference. “I am a very shy person, but this was the first time I felt that I have overcome my fear of public speaking! The trainers made sure that everyone voiced their opinions and I feel good to have my voice heard.”
The conference encouraged participants to take on one key area that fell under their expertise and design how they can utilize the takeaways from this conference in bridging gaps and building inclusion in their work.
For Bibi, this conference marked an important step in empowering professionals – both with disabilities and the non-disabled – to influence policymaking from a perspective that ensures that no one is left behind as inclusion elevates all.
