Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari said on Monday that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will help improve labor rights and labor situation in Pakistan.

Addressing a ceremony in Islamabad, the minister said when CPEC moves beyond road construction to enter into the building process of economic zones, the standard of workforce will be raised in the country.

“As special economic zones are coming to play, multinational enterprises will bring corporate social responsibility with them. With the bringing in of great corporate social responsibility, we will see the rise and improvement in the standard of workforce, including the women workforce.”

The minister said the government fully supported CPEC and believed it will contribute to Pakistan and its economy. “One thing should be made categorically clear, and that is also the position of our government, that CPEC is here to stay and it can only move forward.”

She added that the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative is a starting point of a wide regional network of economic cooperation and development where people will no more be dependent on the far away lands.

“(Under CPEC), Indigenous enterprises and indigenous development become stronger and stronger, and that is an extremely positive sign for the future of our region and Pakistan,” said Mazari.

The human rights minister expressed optimism that CPEC will provide a wide range of employment opportunities for Pakistani women, hoping the project will include greater technical education and vocational training for women to find employment in CPEC projects.