BD seeks global action to protect women online
Bangladesh has called for stronger international action to prevent conflicts through early mediation and address the growing threat of technology-facilitated violence against women and girls.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam made the calls at two high-level meetings held on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Addressing the 16th Ministerial Meeting of the UN Group of Friends of Mediation at Turkish House on Thursday, Shama Obaed stressed the need to intervene before grievances escalate into violence.
“We must mediate before grievances become violence, when human and financial costs are lowest,” she said.
Drawing on Bangladesh’s longstanding experience in UN peacekeeping, the State Minister called for greater investment in mediation and peacebuilding capacities.
She highlighted the Integrated Peacebuilding Competency Programme at the Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operation Training (BIPSOT), saying such initiatives could contribute to strengthening global peacebuilding capacity.
She also called for stronger partnerships among states, regional actors, local mediators and the United Nations, while stressing the importance of national ownership in mediation processes.
Shama Obaed urged the UN to strengthen preventive action through predictable funding, rapidly deployable mediation support and timely engagement based on early-warning mechanisms.
She also highlighted the emerging role of technology and artificial intelligence in mediation, calling for their responsible use with safeguards to ensure impartiality, transparency and confidentiality.
The meeting was jointly convened by Finland and Türkiye and brought together ministers and senior representatives from several countries to discuss ways to strengthen mediation as a tool for conflict prevention and peacebuilding.
At a separate ministerial roundtable on Wednesday, Bangladesh called for stronger global action against digital violence targeting women and girls.
Addressing the G77 and Emerging Partners Ministerial Roundtable on Technology-Facilitated Violence against Women and Girls at UN Headquarters, Shama Obaed outlined Bangladesh’s legal and institutional measures to prevent violence against women and girls. These include faster investigations and trials, legal aid, social protection, rehabilitation, safe shelters and psychosocial support.
She also referred to Bangladesh’s recently launched women-only Pink Bus Service as an initiative to promote safer public transport for women.
The State Minister highlighted Bangladesh’s efforts to protect women affected by conflict, including through its participation in UN peacekeeping operations and support for Rohingya women and girls temporarily sheltered in Bangladesh.
She also introduced the Dhaka Dialogue, a Bangladesh-led initiative aimed at developing voluntary guidelines to prevent, investigate and address digital harassment.
Shama Obaed invited UN member states to join the initiative’s Group of Friends and contribute to international efforts to combat technology-facilitated violence.
The roundtable, convened by Croatia and UN Women, focused on emerging digital threats facing women and girls, including online harassment, defamation, impersonation and abuse facilitated by artificial intelligence.
Bangladesh’s interventions at the two meetings emphasised preventive action, international cooperation and stronger institutional capacity in addressing both armed conflict and emerging forms of violence enabled by digital technologies.
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