ISLAMABAD-Anee Zahra, who lives in Pathipura, Gilgit-Baltistan, had to give up her education in grade 7 due to her parents’ conventional attitude towards contemporary progression. Her mother registered a knitting centre for her, but Anee was not satisfied, and she would all the time be on the roof of her home watching the girls going to school early in the morning.
From 2018 to 2023, KOICA implemented the “Support to national capacity building to realize Girls’ Right to Education” project in two provinces of Pakistan to increase the enrollment rate of out of school girls (OOSG) and improve the educational environment with UNESCO. The project aimed to “expand access to primary education for out of school girls(OOSG) aiming to enroll 17,000 students and 80% enrollment rate within the project target area”.
According to the announcement of the “KOICA Multi-Bi Project Dissemination Seminar in 2023” held on the 21st in Islamabad, KOICA, Korea International Cooperation Agency, is implementing various projects in cooperation with international organizations to overcome Pakistan’s structural weaknesses. Owing to the Support, Anee was excited to go back to school, and teachers and principals said her academic performance in the school is remarkable. “I want to be an obstetrician and gynecologist who serves the deprived community of Astore, especially the deprived community of her town, Pathipura.”
From 2022 to 2025, KOICA also launched the “Supporting Afghan refugees and their host communities in Pakistan” project with UNHCR to strengthen access to basic healthcare, water supply and education for Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
A refugee from Pakistan’s Balochistan province, Mohammed Anwar noted “Education is the beacon that will guide Afghanistan out of darkness”. The father of two daughters and one son, he argued that the empowerment of its educated youth, especially its women, is the very key to unlocking the door to a renewed and more hopeful future.
The KOICA-UNHCR partnership provides better healthcare facilities to Afghan refugees and support Protection Maternelle Infantile (PMI) in the region. It is also contributing to improved access to clean drinking water and better health conditions in refugee-accepting communities, and providing better educational facilities in Baluchistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad to increase school enrollment for boys and girls.
Anwar appreciated increasing the accessibility of schools for both boys and girls, emphasizing that an safe learning environments for young refugees is an important role in growing the next generation.
Farhana Jabeen, Ruzina Jamil, and Iqra Rafique Khan are women from Multan who have challenged business through UNWOMEN’s program by unleashing their potential. UNWOMEN seeks to identify women’s potential and realize economic empowerment through cooperative projects with KOICA. Many women living in Pakistan feel left out from the digital society due to poverty or family opposition, thereby feeling a barrier to entering society.
From 2024 to 2028, KOICA plans to work with UNWOMEN to create an environment where Pakistani women aged 18-35 can enter the technology sector by improving their digital literacy and to accelerate the economic participation of young women. They will 1) implement capacity building programs and mentorships with experts and 2) Create a conducive environment for young women to enter the technology sector - including IT enabled services(ITeS), software development, and data analytics - through engagement with private sector and government stakeholders.
KOICA and UNWOMEN partnered to help women in Pakistan. To increase women’s economically active population to 15,000, the two organizations have promised future cooperation, which they expect will increase women’s chances of economic and social engagement.
This year, marks the 40th anniversary of the official establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Pakistan. At the “KOICA Multi-Bi Project Dissemination Seminar in 2023” held to mark the 40th anniversary, H.E. Park Ki jun the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan said, “This year is the 40th anniversary of the official establishment of the Diplomatic relations between Korea and Pakistan”. He added, “I hope Korea will cooperate and make many connections with international entities and donor agencies and ultimately contribute to Pakistan’s sustainable and prosperous growth”.