State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam on Sunday said advancing the women, peace and security (WPS) agenda is not only a global commitment but also a moral imperative and a shared responsibility.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs remains committed to championing this agenda in close cooperation with all relevant stakeholders,” she said while speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of a workshop at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center in Dhaka.
The State Minister highlighted Bangladesh’s pioneering role in United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 and reaffirmed its commitment to the WPS agenda, including the ongoing review of the first National Action Plan (NAP) for 2019-2025 with support from UN Women.
She recalled the important initiatives of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia in advancing girls’ education and women’s empowerment, alongside the present BNP-led government’s measures to promote education, entrepreneurship, employment, safety, culture and sports.
She called for an inclusive, realistic and measurable second five-year NAP.
Speaking as the special guest, Women and Children Affairs Secretary Dr Rowsan Ara Begum stressed that the next-generation NAP should be well designed, adequately financed, effectively coordinated and, ultimately, owned by the women it serves.
UN Women Representative in Bangladesh Gitanjali Singh delivered the welcome remarks. She highlighted Bangladesh’s opportunity to build on its strong WPS foundation and called for greater focus on implementation, women’s leadership and participation, measurable results and accountability.
The two-day workshop, titled “Developing Bangladesh’s New-Generation National Action Plan on WPS,” is being jointly convened by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UN Women Bangladesh and will conclude on Monday.
The workshop aims to provide a platform for members of the inter-ministerial coordination group and representatives of civil society organizations to contribute to shaping a next-generation WPS framework responsive to evolving national, regional and global contexts.