Ms. Fauzia Viqar, Federal Ombudsperson for Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace, 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 reforms to eliminate discrimination and 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 the 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). She has served on many non-profit, public sector and Corporate Boards. In 2023 Ms. Viqar was awarded the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Award for Advancing Gender Equality in Pakistan.

Ms. Fauzia Viqar

Federal Ombudsperson
for Protection Against Harassment
of Women at the Workplace