The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) pilot has signed an agreement with the Embassy of Japan in Pakistan for the development of women-specific transport service in selected districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Senior officials of the Economic Affairs Division, Planning Commission of Pakistan and Department of Transport K-P along with UN Resident Coordinator and heads of other UN agencies and representatives of foreign missions and donor agencies attended the signing ceremony.
The UNOPS Pakistan office in partnership with the K-P Transport Department and UN Women will be implementing the project with the financial support from Japan government.
Japan will contribute 191 million yen ($1.79 million) for the project.
"The introduction of 'Women Bus Service' "is an initiative taken to make women feel safe, secured and comfortable when travelling.
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These buses aim to protect women during travel and reduce the risk of being a potential victim," The Express Tribune quoted UN Resident Coordinator Neil Buhne, as saying.
"The project will pilot 14 buses in three districts of K-P; Peshawar, Mardan and Abbottabad," he added.
UNOPS Pakistan Director and Representative Muhammad Haider Reza said that it an honour for UNOPS to support and work in close partnership on this innovative project.
UN Women Country Representative Jamshed M Kazi said that the project will have potentially transformative results for women's empowerment and the project will pave the way for more cities and districts to benefit from this service.
Thanking the Japan government, UNOPS and UN Women for supporting the initiative,Transport and Mass Transit Department Provincial Secretary Zubair Asghar Qureshi said that the project is also being linked up with the Mass Transit System or Bus Rapid Transit which is being developed in Peshawar to the needs of the women.
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