During his trip to the port city and economic hub of Pakistan, Dr
Turner hosted a dinner for the selected delegates, partners and
curators of the WOW - Women of the World festival which is being
organised by the British Council in Pakistan, together with the
WOW Foundation and Southbank Centre.
Dr Turner also visited the Mazar-e-Quaid (the final resting place
of the founder of the nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah)
and made a trip to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Makli
Necropolis.
The British High Commissioner (Designate) Dr said:
Karachi is a dynamic, multi-cultural and diverse city and I am
delighted that I have been able to visit within my first few
weeks in Pakistan.
The top British companies operating in Pakistan: Standard
Chartered, GlaxoSmithKline, Shell Pakistan, Unilever and
Reckitt Benckiser all have their head offices in Karachi and
represent one per cent of Pakistan’s entire economy.
I have enjoyed meeting inspirational Pakistani women role
models during the WOW – Women of the World Festival who are
making a difference in their fields. My trip to Karachi would
not be complete without a visit to pay my respects at
Quaid-e-Azam’s mausoleum and reflect on his vision of a
tolerant and inclusive Pakistan.
Notes to the editor
About the WOW Festival
The British Council in Pakistan, together with the WOW
Foundation, and Southbank Centre and four curating partners are
organising the third WOW – Women of the World festival in
Pakistan on 14-15 December 2019 at Beach Luxury.
The British Council hosted the first full scale WOW in South Asia
in Karachi in 2016 bringing together exceptional and inspiring
women, offering a space to share the achievements of women and
look at the significant challenges still faced by them.
This is the third time the Women of the Women festival will be
held in Karachi, and the 2019 line-up includes important talks
and mentoring, musical performances, dramatic readings, panel
discussions, workshops, a space for young children and a market
reimagined as a diverse and inclusive third space.
WOW - Women of the World Festivals first began in the UK in 2010,
launched by Jude Kelly CBE at Southbank Centre London. WOW
festivals around the world are platforms to celebrate women and
girls, discuss what prevents them from achieving their potential,
raise global awareness and discuss solutions to on the issues
they face.
To date, WOW has reached over 2 million people in 17 countries on
5 continents with more than 60 festivals around the world. The
WOW Foundation was created by Kelly in 2018 to manage what has
now become a global movement.
