Preparatory Meeting on Parliamentary Capacity Building on Tobacco Control & WHO Report MPower

The Aurat Foundation team held a meeting with the Secretary of the Women Parliamentary Caucus, Dr. Shahida Rehmani, to discuss parliamentary engagement on tobacco control and the upcoming capacity-building initiatives for parliamentarians based on the WHO Report on Tobacco Control and the WHO MPOWER technical policy package.

During the meeting, the AF delegation (Mehak Fatima Jafry & Syed Safdar Raza) briefed Dr. Rehmani on the importance of strengthening parliamentary understanding of evidence-based tobacco control strategies and enhancing legislative responsiveness to public health challenges. The discussion also highlighted the need to build institutional capacity among lawmakers to effectively address the growing burden of tobacco use in Pakistan.

Dr. Rehmani appreciated the initiative and agreed to facilitate a capacity-building session for parliamentarians upon the resumption of the parliamentary session. The proposed session will bring together parliamentarians, government officials from the Ministries of Health and 14 Education, as well as academicians, to promote a coordinated and informed approach to tobacco control.

The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to advancing parliamentary engagement and strengthening policy dialogue on tobacco control through evidence-based frameworks such as WHO MPOWER.