Exclusive Trusted Magazine Q&A with Almas Jiwani, CEO @Almas Jiwani Foundation
Please tell us a bit about your journey and your current role?
Well the journey is very interesting. For over fifteen years I have remained the vocal champion of women’s social, economic, and political empowerment locally and globally. I travel almost every corner of the world, addressed hundreds of parliamentarians from over 42 countries, dialogued and interacted with several heads of states and first ladies, addressed millions of women entrepreneurs and students and worked alongside icons like Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Deepak Chopra – but the more and more I wandered around the more and more I got confused on the very fact that despite so much efforts taking place all around the world the monster of poverty and inequality was just getting stronger and stronger.
How does your current work help contribute to global sustainability?
The Almas Jiwani Foundation is an organization set in a new paradigm by people from different walks of life cognizant of the realities, recent failures and challenges ahead. They carry with them a promise of finding a niche for a next generation institution and innovative ideas to solve the world’s problems.
The Goals of AJF are simple, but important. We are seeking to alleviate poverty by focusing on girls and women in select regions. We intend to improve their quality of life by providing or improving access to quality education and energy, and thus modern technology. We advocate for the rights of women in different cultures and societies.
What is the potential for your economic sector to contribute to global sustainability and why?
The civilization is made of innovative ideas implemented by enterprising individuals. In every individual living on this earth – whether educated or not and irrespective of class or creed – there is an entrepreneur waiting to rise and shine. With the smart use of modern technology this has become possible to mobilize micro-economy based on the better use of human capital. Instead of taking a round-turn of giving-taking nexus, there is a clear road to catalyzing entrepreneurship at the grass-roots. AJF not only looks in that direction but asserts to change the paradigm of development based on top-down or bottom-up.
What must be done for gender equality in the world?
The issue of gender parity is primarily a human rights issue. If we delve deep into the subject, we will discover that the primary problem is that women are not considered as human as men. I believe that empowering women is the fundamental step we must first take in tackling this issue of gender equality. The factors to consider are economic, political and cultural. With regard to cultural norms and policies for instance, it is imperative to sift through the underlying values governing various cultures and make a distinction between the values that are progressive and those that are retrogressive. The idea is to create a level playing field for all genders so we must determine which values favor that.
According to you, what are the biggest problems that women face all around the world?
Given the immense progress in this era of unprecedented globalization, one of the biggest problems that women face is being marginalized and left behind in the development curve. Women in so many countries are still oblivious to the potential and capacity that they carry as they find themselves trapped in rigid traditional societies that stifle their potential and leave them underperforming.