PM pledges to do more for gender parity

Expressing her government’s strong political will to move forward with gender equality and women’s empowerment, prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday
said Bangladesh is pledge-bound to continue to work for the socioeconomic and political empowerment of the women and higher education for girls.
‘Bangladesh would create more opportunities for women and ensure their access to politics, business and government,’ she told a high-level meeting of the global leaders on gender equality at the UN headquarters here this morning.
The global leaders meeting on ‘Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: A Commitment to Action’ was jointly organised by UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) and China.
Chinese president Xi Jinping presided over the session, while UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon and 17 heads of state and government including the presidents of Mexico and Kenya and the prime minister of Denmark also took part in the discussion.
The prime minister said Bangladesh is firmly committed to continuing to work for ending all forms of discrimination and violence against women. ‘We shall create a safer environment for our women and girls to thrive as agents of change,’ she said.
Sheikh Hasina said government has taken initiatives to eliminate child marriage by 2041. ‘We shall continue to give attention to maternal health and nutrition and work for increasing the rate of skilled birth attendance,’ she added.
The prime minister said Bangladesh attaches highest importance to women’s participation in all walks of life and livelihoods. In this regard, she spelled out some successful programmes of her government taken for the welfare of the womenfolk.
These programmes, she said, included free education for girls up to 12th grade, stipends for girl students, free pre-and-post-natal healthcare, easy credit facilities, vocational and Information and Communication Technology training.
The prime minister said her government is providing 32 types of medicine free of cost from the community clinics across the country, mainly dedicated for providing healthcare services to the women.
While talking about Sustainable Development Agenda, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, Sheikh Hasina said it would offer added impetus to bring about positive changes in the lives of the women and girls. ‘We should seize this opportunities,’ she said.
The prime minister also urged the world leaders to take a vow to achieve gender parity in all aspects and make the world a better place for the women and girls.

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