PACE Holds Historic Conference on Women’s Empowerment at CSW Sidelines

By Mohsin Zaheer

New York: March 14, 2023 – Progressive American Community Empowerment (PACE) organized a special dialogue on the sidelines of the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations. The conference, titled “Breaking the Divide, Connecting Communities,” brought together a diverse group of elected women leaders from New York City and Long Island, as well as important figures from various walks of life in the Pakistani and Muslim American communities.

Under the auspices of Saeed Hassan, Executive Director of PACE, the event featured two sessions where speakers discussed the importance of women’s empowerment and community development. Notable attendees included Consul General of New York Ayesha Ali, Council-member Linda Lee, Deputy County Executive Suffolk County Vanessa Baird-Streeter, CISCO & PWIC Huma Hamid, Owner of Sheefa Pharmacy Dr. Jabeen Ahmed, Adnan Bukhari, Dr. Waqas Ahmed, Mar Soto, Director of YES, Atia Shahaz, Erum Hanif, and others.

During the conference, Saeed Hassan emphasized the need for global collaboration and the importance of women in the process of community development. He stated that the role of women is crucial in creating a better society, and urged everyone to work together to achieve that goal.

Consul General Ayesha Ali highlighted the need to create opportunities for women to advance and connect different communities. She shared that the number of female staff members in the Pakistan Consulate in New York has increased, and stated that her role as consul general is to connect communities.

Dr. Amina Zia moderated the event and emphasized the importance of collaboration and challenging conversations to build something meaningful for the community. Dr. Waqas Ahmed shared his personal story of turning from a physician to an entrepreneur to serve underserved women, inspired by his mother.

Council-member Linda Lee, who has worked as a social worker and activist for over 22 years, emphasized the importance of focusing on women and women’s empowerment in the healthcare system. Deputy County Executive Suffolk County Vanessa Baird-Streeter stressed the need for diverse leadership and inclusion, especially for women and people of color.

Adnan Bukhari spoke about PACE’s mission of equity and inclusion, and the importance of collaboration to move forward together. Marc Soto highlighted PACE’s commitment to serving under-served communities and emphasized the importance of women in leading families. Atiya Shahnaz discussed the challenges faced by immigrant and minority communities in integrating with the system and stressed the role of community-based organizations in confronting these challenges.

The ceremony concluded with the recognition of important personalities of the Pakistani American community, including Nic Salim, Huma Hamid, Amina Zia, Khalid, Dr. Shehla Naqvi, Atiya Shahnaz, Raja Razzak, Erum Hanif, and Dr. Waqas Ahmed, who were presented with citations in recognition of their services.

Saeed Hasan, Adnan Bukhari, and Waheed Ahmed, colleagues of PACE, were congratulated on organizing the historic conference on the role of women and community on the sidelines of the United Nations Women’s Conference. The well-known Pakistani-American singer Sherjan Ahmad also entertained participants at the beginning of the event by singing his famous songs.