On the eve of International Women’s Day, leading women’s rights campaigners at the United Nations and the African Union and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate criticized male-dominated governments Tuesday for excluding women from peace negotiations. They complained that governments are ignoring a U.N. resolution adopted in 2000 demanding equal participation for women in talks to end conflicts. Sima Bahous, head of the U.N. agency promoting gender equality, lamented “the regression in women’s rights.” She told the Security Council that “we have neither significantly changed the composition of peace tables, nor the impunity enjoyed by those who commit atrocities against women and girls.” Also Read: DigitALL: Role of tech in promoting gender equality highlighted this Women’s Day Bahous, executive director of UN Women, called for “a radical change of direction.” She said action should be taken to mandate the inclusion of women at every meeting and in every decision-making process, with consequences for non-compliance. And funds should be channeled to women’s groups in conflict-affected countries where the money is most needed, she said. The Security Council was assessing the state of the resolution it adopted on Oct. 31, 2000, that stresses the important role of women in preventing and resolving conflicts and demands their equal participation in all efforts to promote peace and security. It also calls on all parties to conflicts to protect women and girls from gender-based violence, especially rape and other forms of sexual abuse. Also Read: Loss due to women’s exclusion from digital world could grow to $1.5 trillion by 2025 without action: UN Chief Since the 20th anniversary of the resolution in 2020, Bahous said, Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers have imposed “gender apartheid” and war in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region reportedly led to sexual violence “at a staggering scale.” Coups in conflict-affected countries in Africa’s Sahel and Sudan to Myanmar have dramatically shrunk the civic space for women’s organizations and activists, she added. The U.N. Commission on the Status of Women began its annual two-week session Monday focusing on closing gender gaps in technology and innovation. It is also examining digital harassment and disinformation aimed at women that fosters violent misogyny. Bahous cited a recent study that says politically motivated online abuse of women within Myanmar and from the country increased at least fivefold after that country's February 2021 coup. “This mainly takes the form of sexualized threats and the release of home addresses, contact details, and personal photos or videos of women who had commented positively on groups opposing military rule in Myanmar,” she said. Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, addressed the gender-based violence aspect of the U.N. resolution, saying that “more than 100 armed conflicts are raging around the world” and hard-won gains toward gender equality are being reversed. “This is no coincidence,” she said. “As respect for gender equality declines, violence rises.” Egger said the Red Cross sees “the brutal impact” every day of “sexual violence at the hands of arms bearers at shocking levels.” Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee, who mobilized street protests against the brutality of the country’s long civil war and shared the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, told the council that “it has been proven time and again that men do make war but are unable to make peace themselves.” “Sadly, the conversation is the same in 2023,” she said. “How do we discuss the issue of peace and security and leave out fifty percent of the population?” Gbowee said that as the U.N. resolution on women, peace and security approaches its 23rd anniversary “investment in its implementation is either stalled or slow.” Action plans submitted by governments are “a tool for politicians and political actors to window-dress women peace and security issues as they cover up for their failure" to advance women’s rights, she said. Gbowee called for women peace activists to be part of all peace missions, calling them “custodians of their communities.” “We will continue to search for peace in vain in our world unless we bring women to the table,” she warned. Bineta Diop, the African Union Commission chair’s special envoy on women, peace and security, said in a virtual briefing to the council that the current impact of armed conflict on women and girls “is precarious.” Diop cited kidnappings in the Sahel, rape, killing and maiming of young girls and boys in Congo, and atrocities in the Lake Chad Basin and in East Africa, including “an unprecedented rate of sexual violence.” “Unfortunately, while many women are engaged in the community and peacebuilding initiatives, their voice is yet to be heard in peace negotiations and mediation where roadmaps to return to peace are drawn,” she said. Diop said the African Union is helping to promote African women leaders who can sit at peace tables and to bring women from rival regions together, as just happened at a retreat in Pretoria, South Africa, for Ethiopian women.

International Women’s Day is being observed in the country today (march 08, 2023), as elsewhere across the globe, with focus on gender equality and empowerment of women. This year’s theme, ‘DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality’, highlights the role of innovative technology in promoting gender equality and meeting the health and development needs of women and girls. International Women’s Day is observed every year on March 8 to put focus on women’s ongoing struggle for equality. Also Read: Top 10 International Scholarships for Women to Study Abroad Different organizations have chalked out elaborate programmes, including rallies, discussions and cultural events, to mark the day. Bangladesh's President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have issued separate messages on the occasion. Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar and private television channels are airing special programmes while newspapers published supplements highlighting the significance of the day. Also Read: UN secretary-general says women’s right are under threat

Speakers at a function here on Tuesday laid emphasis on paying utmost attention to gender equality and keep talking on the barriers to ensure that no one is left behind. They highlighted the urgency of working together for equality everyday which is good for society and economic growth when everyone desires a more sustainable tomorrow. Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) hosted the event at the Foreign Service Academy auditorium marking the International Women’s Day. Read:DCAB pays tribute to Bangabandhu at Dhanmondi 32 Secretary (East) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mashfee Binte Shams spoke as the chief guest at the event while Ambassador of Switzerland Nathalie Chuard and Ambassador of Sweden to Bangladesh Alexandra Berg von Linde spoke as special guests. Additional Foreign Secretary and Rector of FSA Asad Alam Siam, Chief of Protocol M Amanul Haq, Director General (Public Diplomacy wing) Mohammad Harun Al Rashid and DG (Consular & Welfare Wing) Seheli Sabrin, among others, joined the event.

Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden recognised women who have succeeded in both public and private professions to commemorate International Women’s Day (IWD) 2022. Radisson Blu Dhaka hosted International Women’s Day 2022-Women of Excellence, an awards series to honour the career-based accomplishments of female professionals in Bangladesh for the first time. Read:Speakers want more financial access to women for their empowerment With this initiative, Radisson Blu Dhaka has shown their commitment to #BreakTheBias, which is the theme for IWD 2022. At the event, a discussion panel was held with prominent women professionals of the country, who were honoured for their career achievements. Awardees included Rumana Chowdhury, Founder and Chief Designer of Warah, Sharmin Rinvi, President of the Economic Reporters Forum, and Nahid Osman, celebrity chef. The panel was moderated by Mahzabin Ferdous, Executive Director of Concito. The honorable panelists of the event were Sadia Haque, Founder of ShareTrip; Shimul Yousuf, actor, director and singer; Humaira Azam, Managing Director and CEO of Trust Bank Limited; Shwapna Bhowmick, Country Manager at Marks & Spencer; and Farida Yasmin, President of the National Press Club. Meanwhile, Md. Sharfuddin Newaz, General Manager in-Charge and Director of Sales and Marketing, said, “We must never forget to pay tribute to these dynamic Bangladeshi women, whose role in moving the country forward is immense. Our best wishes to all of our respected panelists as well as all the women who have joined us here tonight.” Read: BELA's Rezwana named among State Dept's International Women of Courage '22 Mahbub Ali, State Minister of the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation was present at the event as the chief guest while Meher Afroz Chumki, MP, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, was the special guest. Every year, Radisson Blu Dhaka celebrates International Women’s Day through their Signature Program, which features special events and discounts on the hotel’s services for women. 

Women in Bangladesh should be given greater role in making decisions on their own financial matters as part of their empowerment, a discussion was told on Wednesday. The discussion on a subject called ‘Break the Bias for a gender-equal world’ was organized by think-tank Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), to mark the International Women’s Day. Read: Women’s entry into banks and NBFIs declines amid 10% quota withdrawal Speakers at the event said women sometimes lost their control on monthly salary even, as her male family members, including husbands, often operate their bank accounts. Old women can’t always take decision on how to spend the government assistance given to them as they are dominated by male relatives, they said. Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, Chairperson of BRAC and a former advisor to the caretaker government spoke as the special guest. Alexandra BergVon Linde, Ambassador, Embassy of Sweden, Bangladesh; Winnie Estrup Petersen, Ambassador, Embassy of Denmark, Syed Nasim Manzur, Director, Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) and Managing Director, Apex Footwear Limited; Dr Firdausi Qadri, Emeritus Scientist, ICDDRB, Barrister Rashna Imam, Managing Partner, Akhtar Imam & Associates; Humaira Azam, Managing Director and CEO, Trust Bank; Taslima Akter Lima, President, Bangladesh Garments Sramik Sanghati and Ms Rizvana Hredita, also addressed the event. Read:Google celebrates Int’l Women’s Day with doodle Professor Rounaq Jahan, Distinguished Fellow of CPD chaired the function. Dr Fahmida Khatun, Executive Director, CPD moderated the discussion. The programme were attended by a number female professionals and entrepreneurs, representatives of women’s organisations and media, heads of missions and embassies in Bangladesh and members of the civil society.

​​​​​​It's never easy to break society's taboos, especially on the subcontinent, where religious and cultural beliefs rule everything. South Asian women used to have a hard time doing anything they desired just a few years ago. Even now, in Southeast Asia, the societal attitude toward women has not changed. But there are a few women who went out on their own and have shattered the taboos. On the occasion of the 2022 International Women's Day, this article recognizes five South Asian female athletes who have defied prejudices. South Asia's Five Spirited Female Athletes  Many notable female athletes from the Indian subcontinent have proved their ability on a global scale. As a result, picking the top five from all of them was a difficult task. Here are five female athletes who have broken social conventions.    Susanthika Jayasinghe Sprinter, Sri Lanka Retired legendary Lankan female sprinter Susanthika Jayasinghe was born in Uduwaka in 1975. Susanthika earned a silver medal in the 200m sprint at the Olympics. She is the first Asian woman to win a sprint medal at either Olympic or World Championships. She is also the only Asian to win an Olympic medal in a sprint event. Read 10 Greatest Female Scientists of All Time. Susanthika Jayasinghe is regarded as the 'Asian Black Mare' because of her supremacy on the track and field. What she accomplished is truly remarkable. According to the western world, a girl from the subcontinent could never win a medal in the Olympics or World Championships. However, Susanthika shattered prejudices by making history on the athletic field.     Sania Mirza Tennis, India Indian women's tennis player, Sania Mirza was born in Hyderabad in 1986 to a devout Muslim family. Sania Mirza began playing tennis at the age of six, and at the age of seventeen, she began her international career as a professional tennis player. Read 10 Greatest Female Entrepreneurs of the 21st Century. Sania Mirza is a six-time Grand Slam winner in mixed doubles and doubles. She earned a total of 14 medals at the Asian Games, Afro-Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games. Sania defied two social taboos: first, coming from a traditional Muslim family to make a reputation for herself in international tennis; and second, despite being Asian, she was one of the prominent global tennis players. Samina Baig Mountaineer, Pakistan Amusement, excitement, and fun are all essential meanings of sport. Mountaineering is a sport in such a context. However, the sport has evolved into something more, and hiking can no longer be considered a sport. Since hiking requires a lot of physical activity and there are some climbing-related sports, Pakistan's Samina Baig was picked, who overcame society's taboos by conquering Mount Everest. Read Rumana Ahmed on the verge of reaching two milestones as first Bangladeshi woman cricketer. Samina became the first Pakistani woman and the youngest Muslim female to climb Mount Everest at the age of twenty-one. Millions of Pakistani girls who aspire to explore the world have been inspired by her achievements.   Mary Kom Boxer, India Mary Kom was born in the Indian state of Manipur in 1982. This boxer-turned politician is a great inspiration to many young players in India because of her struggle and perseverance on the way to becoming India's most celebrated female boxer. Mary Kom grew up in a poor family and used to assist her parents with their farming. However, her love for the sport was undeniable. Read Shammi Nasrin: An Inspiration to Bangladesh Women in Weightlifting. Mary Kom earned many medals in the World Amateur Boxing Championships, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games. What's more amazing is that she took a hiatus when her first child was born. She returned later and conquered the ring. Nishat Majumdar Mountaineer, Bangladesh Two decades ago, the idea of a girl climbing a mountain was unthinkable to the majority of Bangladeshi households. However, Nishat Majumdar defied the odds by conquering Mount Everest on May 19, 2012. Nishat was born in the Noakhali district in 1981. She has always been an adventurous girl who aspires to conquer mountains. Nishat's feat encourages more female Bangladeshi explorers who want to break society's taboos. Read The most famous Bangladeshi female athletes of all time. Bottom Line Women are often oppressed by society in South Asia. In most cases, religious beliefs trump their aspirations in the traditional subcontinental society. Besides, there is a perception in the western world that athletes from the subcontinent are not good enough to compete in major sporting events. The legendary sportwomen mentioned above have defied both preconceptions by following their passion and staying with it until they reach their goals. These athletes have paved the way for others and are true role models for women everywhere. Hats off to them, on the occasion of 2022 International Women's Day.     Read Greatest Films Featuring Women in Science.

International Women's Day is being celebrated in the country, as elsewhere across the globe, on Tuesday recognising female leadership on climate change adaptation and response for a sustainable future. The theme for this year's International Women’s Day is 'Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow'. "The year 2022 is pivotal for achieving gender equality in the context of climate change, and environmental and disaster risk reduction, which are some of the greatest global challenges of the twenty-first century," the UN Women said in a statement. Also read: Greatest Films Featuring Women in Science “Without gender equality today, a sustainable future and an equal future remains beyond our reach,” it said. The campaign theme for International Women's Day 2022 is #BreakTheBias. In fact, International Women’s Day is observed every year on March 8 to celebrate women’s movement and struggle for equality, in the face of deeply entrenched patriarchy. To mark the day, different organisations have chalked out elaborate programmes. Five women will be honoured with ‘Joyeeta Award’ this year at an event arranged by the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs later in the day. Education Minister Dipu Moni will chair the event at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the city. This year’s Joyeeta awardees are Sanzida Akter Shimu from Shirajganj upazila in Razshahi division for scripting success in the economic sector; Dr Hossain Ara Arzu, associate professor at Rajshahi University for her contribution to the education sector, Khoshnahar Begum from Chattogram division as a successful mother, Jesmin Akter from Barishal division for fighting against oppression, and Rokeya Begum from Rangpur division for her contribution to social development. Also read: BAJUS honours 3 leading women of jewellery industry On the eve of the day, President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages, greeting all women across the world. Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar and all private television channels have lined up special programmes for the day.

As the world moves ahead to mark International Women’s Day, the clock on women’s rights is moving backwards. All of us are paying the price.   The cascading crises of recent years have highlighted how women’s leadership is more crucial than ever.  Women have heroically confronted the COVID-19 pandemic as doctors, nurses, and public health and social care workers.   But at the same time, women and girls have been the first to lose out on jobs or schooling, taking on more unpaid care work, and facing skyrocketing levels of domestic and cyber abuse and child marriage.  The pandemic has highlighted even more starkly an age-old truth: the roots of patriarchy run deep. We still live in a male-dominated world with a male-dominated culture.  As a result, in good times or bad, women are more likely to fall into poverty. Their healthcare is sacrificed and their education and opportunities are curtailed.  Read:UN chief urges Putin to ‘give peace a chance’ in Ukraine As we look to the future, a sustainable and equal recovery for all is only possible if it is a feminist recovery — one that puts progress for girls and women at its centre.  We need economic progress through targeted investments in women’s education, employment, training and decent work. Women should be first in line for the 400 million jobs we are called to create by 2030. We need social progress through investments in social protection systems and the care economy. Such investments yield huge dividends, creating green, sustainable jobs, while supporting members of our societies that need assistance, including children, older people and the sick.  We need financial progress, to reform a morally bankrupt global financial system, so all countries can invest in a woman-centred economic recovery. This includes debt relief and fairer tax systems that channel some of the massive pockets of wealth around the world to those who need it most.  We need urgent, transformative climate action, to reverse the reckless increase in emissions and gender inequalities that have left women and girls disproportionately vulnerable. Developed countries must urgently deliver on their commitments on finance and technical support for a just transition from fossil fuels. The successful, stable economies of the future will be green, gender-inclusive and sustainable.  We need more women in leadership in government and business, including finance ministers and CEOs, developing and implementing green and socially progressive policies that benefit all their people.  We know, for example, that having more women in parliaments is linked with stronger climate commitments and higher levels of investment in healthcare and education.  We need political progress through targeted measures that ensure women’s equal leadership and representation at all levels of political decision-making, through bold gender quotas.  Gender inequality is essentially a question of power. Uprooting centuries of patriarchy demands that power is equally shared across every institution, at every level.  At the United Nations, we have achieved — for the first time in the organization’s history — gender parity in senior management at headquarters and around the world. This has dramatically improved our ability to better reflect and represent the communities we serve. Read: UN chief says global warming goal on 'life support' Every step of the way, we can take inspiration from women and girls pushing for progress in every sphere and every corner of our globe.   Young women climate campaigners are leading global efforts to pressure governments to live up to their commitments. Women’s rights activists are bravely demanding equality and justice, and building more peaceful societies as peacekeepers, peacemakers and humanitarians in some of the world’s trouble zones and beyond.  In societies where women’s rights movements are vibrant, democracies are stronger. When the world invests in expanding opportunities for women and girls, all of humanity wins.   As a matter of justice, equality, morality and plain common sense, we need to turn the clock forward on women’s rights.  We need a sustainable, feminist recovery centred around — and driven by — women and girls. António Guterres is Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Digital Healthcare Solutions has recently celebrated the International Women’s Day by supporting over 450,000 women in Bangladesh with maternity free health cashback, access to doctors and specialists. Since its inception, DH has been relentlessly working to mitigate the gap between rich and poor, rural and urban people in the health sector of Bangladesh, said a press release.  Women are largely marginalized in the society compared to men in cases of accessing the basic needs such as healthcare while DH through its innovative and affordable services providing them healthcare. The women can also get both general practitioner and specialist consultations by just making a call. Through various campaigns and projects, DH has registered over 450,000 women under various health plans and packages which provide free consultations and free health cashback to its members along with their families.  In the last few months alone, DH has also provided over 1300 consultation with general practitioners for free along with over 1100 consultations with specialists including gynecologists and pediatricians. This year, in an effort to acknowledge the achievements of the women of DH, the management of DH conducted a virtual session with all the female employees on 8th March. In an effort to ensure that the female employees of DH are comfortable and happy and based on this year’s theme ‘Choose to Challenge’, DH also conducted a virtual session with them on 1st March where they discussed about the challenges they face and proposed various innovative solutions. Dr Sharmin Zahan, head of ecosystem and business development said, “We are determined to use our privilege in making digital health accessible for all, particularly for the women and their families as COVID-19 pandemic has flashed light on the inequality across the health and other areas.”  Dr Tanhar Islam, Manager of clinical team said “I'm proud to be a part of DH family where I can flourish myself without facing any negative force and doing something meaningful for the society as well.” More details about DH can be availed by calling 08 000 111 000 or visiting its website - dh.health

Just 1 in 20 of the women , who currently make up 18 percent of directors on the boards of listed companies in Bangladesh, are independent directors .