UN Woman Launches AI School in Pakistan

Pakistan has launched the UN Women Gender-Responsive AI School Pakistan, a national initiative to promote the ethical, inclusive, and gender-responsive use of artificial intelligence.

The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) launched the program with UN Women Pakistan and support from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). It is designed for policymakers, government institutions, parliamentarians, UN agencies, academia, civil society, businesses and community leaders.

The program combines AI theory with practical training. Its curriculum covers AI fundamentals, ethical and gender-responsive AI, governance, prompt engineering, AI agents, public administration and the use of AI for inclusive development.

Training activities had already begun before the formal launch. Separate programs were held for government officials, parliamentarians, UN staff, academics and civil society representatives to build a wider network of people trained in responsible AI.

The broader regional AI School also focuses on issues such as privacy, bias, digital safety and responsible use of generative AI. Training of Trainers sessions in Pakistan were held earlier in July.

Pakistan has become the first country in South Asia to host the full national Training of Trainers track of the UN Women AI School.

According to the organizers, the regional initiative has trained more than 5,000 policymakers, UN personnel, civil society representatives and young innovators across Asia and the Pacific since 2024.

UN Women Pakistan Country Representative Jamshed M. Kazi said the Pakistan program is also the first in the region to provide national training pathways that cover the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government, as well as civil society and the private sector.

The initiative also targets what UN Women describes as a major gap in AI policymaking. Its analysis found that only around two 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 while ensuring that women and girls participate in Pakistan's digital transformation.

Pakistan's National AI Policy also calls for a gender perspective in AI development and specialized skills programs for marginalized women and persons with disabilities.

During the launch, MoITT and UN Women Pakistan signed a Memorandum of Understanding to institutionalize the AI School. The initiative was then symbolically handed over to the ministry as part of plans for national ownership and longer-term implementation.

Federal IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja said AI is changing every sector and that 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.

The launch also included results from the Training of Trainers program, highlighting practical AI applications in governance, parliamentary research, education and community engagement.

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