ABU DHABI: Pakistan’s First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday invoked the legacy of her mother, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, to urge international leaders to invest more in women-led social programmes that are changing lives at the grassroots level in Pakistan.
Speaking at the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity Majlis 2026 in Abu Dhabi, Aseefa said Benazir Bhutto’s vision helped shape nationwide networks of women who now play a central role in Pakistan’s community-based healthcare system.
“We have seen the impact ourselves, better health outcomes and a stronger role for women in society,” Aseefa told the gathering.
Addressing the session on Female Leadership and Human Fraternity, she said her close understanding of her mother’s leadership experience was key to building structures that support thousands of women across the country.
The Majlis, hosted at the newly opened Zayed National Museum on Saadiyat Island, brought together first ladies, former presidents and humanitarian leaders to exchange ideas on peace, coexistence and global cooperation.
Aseefa shared the platform with Lebanon’s First Lady Nehmat Aoun, Colombia’s First Lady Veronica Alcocer, Indonesia’s former president Megawati Sukarnoputri, and Azerbaijan’s Leyla Aliyeva.
UAE Minister of Tolerance Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan said the late Sheikh Zayed believed that lasting prosperity must be built on shared human values and mutual respect.
The forum comes ahead of the seventh Zayed Award for Human Fraternity ceremony in Abu Dhabi, which will honour three recipients this year — the Armenia–Azerbaijan peace agreement, Afghan girls’ education advocate Zarqa Yaftali, and Palestinian humanitarian organisation Taawon — for their work in promoting peace and humanitarian cooperation.
