International Women's Year 1975 (June 15, 1975)

20p: The stamp is horizon-tal in shape. The Role of women in progress is represented by showing a young girl busy in research work in a laboratory. The girl is looking through a microscope for analysis of a sample.
The right hand panel is printed with blue background which contains the insignia of “International Women’s Year” printed in light Mauve and outlined in black on the top. The wording ‘Internatio-nal Women’s Year 1975’ appears in reverse in the middle and ‘Pakistan’ in Urdu and English in black at the bottom edge. The figure 20p and word ‘postage’ appear in reverse on the top edge of the stamp.
Description of Rs. 2.25 : The format of the stamp is horizontal The stamp depicts the theme of Adult Education in women which is represented by showing a young child teaching an old woman. The old woman is holding a traditional Takhti in her lap and trying to write a dictation from young child. The right side panel is printed with a yellow background, contain-ing insignia of International Women’s Year on the top which is printed in green colour and black outline, the wordings “Internatio-nal Women’s Year 1975” is printed in Red in the middle and ‘Pakistan’ in Urdu and English is printed at the bottom edge in Black. The figure Rs. 2.25 and the word ‘postage’ are printed in Black on the top edge of the stamp.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S YEAR
More than twenty-five years ago the first session of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women was held at Lake Success, New York, from 10 to 24 February, 1947. On November 7, 1967, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution embodying the aims and princi-ples of the Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Recognising the effectiveness of the work done by the Commission on the Status of Women since its establishment and the important contri-bution which women have made to the so-cial, political, economic and cultural life of their countries, and also considering that it is necessary to strengthen universal recogni-tion of the principle of the equality of men and women, de jure and de facto, to ensure implementation of women’s rights, by the adoption of legal and social measures by U.N. Member States, which have not yet done so, the United Nations has proclaimed the year 1975 as International Women’s Year, with the object of:
(a) promoting equality between men and women;
(b) ensuring full integration of women in the total development effort, especially by emphasizing women’s responsibility and important role in economic, social and cultural development at the natio-nal, regional and international levels, particularly during the Second United Nations Development Decade;
(c) recognising the importance of women’s increasing contribution to the develop-ment of friendly relations and cooperation among States and to the streng-thening of world peace. 2. In response to this decision of the United Nations, the Prime Minister appro-ved a scheme to formulate a coordinated programme for the observance of this year in the country. Some of the decisions taken in this connection are as follows:
I. AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL:
(i) Setting up of National Organising and Coordinating Committee:
PRESIDENT:Begum Nusrat Bhutto.
SECRETARY: Dr. Firoza Ahmed.
(ii) A lady was appointed by the Prime Minister to serve as Liaison Officer between the Government of Pakistan and the United Nations and external Agencies in following up of activi-ties in this connection.
II. AN INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR:
Theme :“Participation of Women in Social Development: Building Leadership at the Grassroots National Activities:
(i) Women’s Voluntary Organisations Coordinating Committee Meeting of 43 Agencies affiliated and associated with the All Pakistan Women’s Association.
(ii) Seminar on the Status of Women.
(iii) Publicity through radio, newspapers and TV
(iv) Issuance of Commemorative Stamps.
(v) Setting up a National Commission on the Status of Women.
(vi) National Rural Seminar for Women on Social Development.
III. NON-GOVERNMENT LEVELS:
A. Service Projects:
(i) Adult Literacy Campaigns; producing teaching materials for new literates
(ii) Training Courses for Rural Women.
(iii) Training Courses for Rural Workers and Supervisors.
(iv) Local Leadership Training Programmes in all the Provinces.
(v) Setting up of maternal and Child Health Centres in Rural Areas. (Two possibly in each of the provinces during the year).
(vi) Promoting integrated nutrition projects which will tie-in with population planning, training for the pre-school child and adult literacy classes.
(vii) Setting up small mobile libraries.
(viii) A youth Training Project.
(ix) Coaching girls and young women for serving as Paramedical personnel.
(x) Setting of Women’s Community Councils at the neighbourhood level. (Both in rural and urban areas).
B.Subjects to be stressed:
(i) Education through mass media.
(ii) Increasing food production through kitchen gardens.
(iii) Improved care of poultry.
(iv) Teaching methods of storing food.
(v) Health Education; Hygiene and sanitation.
(vi) Environmental Sanitation. (vii) Small scale industries.
IV. INTERNATIONAL LEVEL COLLABORATION:
Working in cooperation and collabora-tion with international agencies some of which are as follows:
(i) Associated Country Women of the world.
(ii) International Council of Women.
(iii) International Alliance of Women.
(iv) Women’s Council of Great Britain.
(v) W. I. N. G. 0.
(vi) Society for International Development.
(vii) Association for International Voluntary Organisations, Geneva.
(viii) W. I. D. F.
(ix) United Nations: F.A.O., F.F.H.C., W.F.P., UNICEF, W. H. 0., UNESCO., I. L. 0.