Islamabad (Big Digit) NCSW Chairperson Umm-e-Laila Azhar launches ‘One Daughter, One Tree’ campaign, linking gender equality with climate goals in Pakistan By Saqib Khan Khattar

Islamabad (Big Digit) NCSW Chairperson Umm-e-Laila Azhar launches ‘One Daughter, One Tree’ campaign, linking gender equality with climate goals in Pakistan
By Saqib Khan Khattar

The National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) marked Pakistan’s 78th Independence Day on Thursday with the launch of a nationwide campaign encouraging fathers to plant a tree for each of their daughters.

The initiative, titled “One Daughter, One Tree,” aims to promote both gender equality and environmental protection, NCSW officials said.

“Our daughters are the true spirit of our freedom,” NCSW Chairperson Umm-e-Laila Azhar told reporters in Islamabad. “From the struggle for independence to today’s contributions in politics, science, and the arts, women have led with courage and vision.”

Azhar said the campaign is intended to symbolise pride in daughters while contributing to climate action and sustainable development. Pakistan is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, facing extreme weather, floods, and rising temperatures.

She noted that during the independence movement and the partition of 1947, women played a key role in supporting communities despite displacement and hardship.

Under the initiative, fathers will plant trees in their daughters’ names across the country. NCSW said it expects participation from schools, community groups, and provincial administrations.