Pakistan has officially launched the UN Women Gender-Responsive AI School Pakistan, a national initiative to promote the ethical, inclusive, and gender-responsive use of artificial intelligence in the country.
Who Launched It
The program was launched by:
- Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT)
- UN Women Pakistan
- Supported by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)
It is designed for policymakers, government institutions, parliamentarians, UN agencies, academia, civil society, businesses, and community leaders.
What the AI School Will Teach
The curriculum combines AI theory with practical training and covers:
- AI fundamentals
- Ethical and gender-responsive AI
- Governance
- Prompt engineering
- AI agents
- Public administration
- Use of AI for inclusive development
- Privacy, bias, digital safety
- Responsible use of generative AI
Training Already Started
Training activities had already begun before the formal launch:
- Separate programs for government officials, parliamentarians, UN staff, academics and civil society
- Training of Trainers sessions held earlier in July
- Goal is to build a wider network of people trained in responsible AI
Pakistan Becomes First in South Asia
Pakistan has become the first country in South Asia to host the full national Training of Trainers track of the UN Women AI School.
Some key numbers:
- More than 5,000 policymakers, UN personnel, civil society representatives and young innovators trained across Asia and the Pacific since 2024
- Pakistan is the first in the region to cover executive, legislative and judicial branches of government
Focus on Women in AI Policy
The initiative targets a major gap in AI policymaking:
- Only around 2 dozen of nearly 140 national AI policies worldwide refer to gender
- The school aims to bring gender equality and inclusion into AI policy, governance and development
- Aims to ensure women and girls participate in Pakistan’s digital transformation
MoITT and UN Women Sign MoU
During the launch:
- MoITT and UN Women Pakistan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to institutionalize the AI School
- The initiative was symbolically handed over to the ministry for national ownership and longer-term implementation
Statements From Key Officials
Federal IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja said AI is changing every sector and Pakistan wants women and girls to have opportunities to participate and lead in the digital economy.
KOICA Pakistan Deputy Country Director Sodam Baek said the program would support digital skills and responsible AI while increasing opportunities for women and girls.
For Pakistani women looking to break into AI, tech policy, or digital governance, this initiative opens up new pathways of training and networking that were largely missing before.
