Sharmeen highlights women’s empowerment

City Desk :

Women and Children Affairs Adviser Sharmeen S Murshid has highlighted the government’s four-point agenda for women’s empowerment at the UN Women’s Conference, emphasising security, recognition, equality, and accountability as the pillars to achieve meaningful and lasting change.

To this end, she said that Bangladesh is proud to announce the four-point agenda for 2025-2030 aimed at ensuring genuine progress for women. Bangladesh’s delegation, led by Sharmeen S Murshid, participated in the meeting held on September 22 at the United Nations Headquarters to mark the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women at the UN headquarters, said a ministry press release on Wednesday. 

She said Bangladesh government will enact a Sexual Harassment Prevention Ordinance by 2025 to build a safe Bangladesh for women and children, ensuring services are made accessible nationwide in the shortest possible time. 
To recognise women’s unpaid work, she said, a Household Production Satellite Account will be established by 2027 to value service work, which constitutes 18.9 percent of GDP, most of which is contributed by women. 

She also stressed that political parties will ensure at least 33 percent women candidates in national elections to secure equal representation at the power table. 
In addition, gender-responsive budgeting will be expanded across all government institutions with a focus on results to promote equity-based accountability in financing, she added. 
The adviser, in her speech, said that while progress has been seen in conflict-prone areas, climate resilience, and women’s economic participation, in many other cases setbacks remain.