17 Pakistani Women Finish the USPWC Scholars Energy Program

Reed Aeschliman, the mission director for the US Agency for International Development, presided over a graduation ceremony for 17 female university students from Pakistan who successfully completed the future of women in energy scholar's pilot program.

The news came out on Sunday, 3rd July, and stated that the graduation ceremony was held at the US Embassy in the country’s capital, Islamabad.

The energy program's first four weeks encourages women to further explore and consider professions in the energy industry, inevitably strengthening the position of women in Pakistan.

The participants are all female Pakistani undergraduates pursuing STEM degrees. The initiative is the result of a U.S. promise made during the September 2021 U.S.-Pakistan Energy Dialogue to increase women's educational and economic participation in Pakistan's energy sector.

Mission Head Reed made a speech to mark the occasion, "As we celebrate 75 years of relations with Pakistan this year, today’s milestone shows the scope of this amazing partnership.”

He further elaborated, stating that the project promotes the employment, education, and empowerment of women. It demonstrates the breadth and depth of both country’s mutual commitments as well as possibilities for future collaboration.

The USPWC, US Mission Pakistan, US Department of State, US Department of Energy, US Agency for International Development (USAID), Texas A&M University, and Texas A&M University at Qatar collaborated to create the program. A two-week study program at the Qatar campus of Texas A&M University got things started on the 3rd of June.

Students worked on individual projects on various aspects of the energy industry while learning about energy-related issues like energy infrastructure, energy security, and the role of women in the respected field.

The students also visited both public and private sector organizations and enterprises that are involved in Pakistan's energy sector during their two-week professional immersion course in Islamabad and Lahore.

Working to elevate and empower women in Pakistan, the US-Pakistan Women's Council is a public-private collaboration which enlists the support of the private sector, civil society, and political decision-makers in both nations. Among other prominent supporters of women's rights, it's membership includes PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Citi, Engro, General Electric, Procter & Gamble, S&P Global, the Resource Group, the Hashoo Group, the American Business Council, and the US Chamber of Commerce's US-Pakistan Business Council.