Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday underscored empowerment of women saying that they are most vulnerable section of society and suffer most during any conflict and disaster. “It is beyond question that women are the most vulnerable section of the society, especially in the third world countries. They suffer from various forms of violence, malnutrition, illiteracy and other basic needs. Their plights multiply during any conflict and disaster,” she said. The premier said this while speaking at the inaugural session of two-day seminar on International Women Peace and Security. Armed Forces Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Bangladesh Police organised the seminar at Army Multipurpose Complex in Dhaka Cantonment. She said that to address the peace and security issues of women, the United Nations Security Council adopted resolution number 1,325 which established the Women Peace and Security (WPS) agenda and Bangladesh is proud to be a part in formulating the resolution. Read more: Block militants' access to shelter, finance: PM to secretaries Hasina said that since its independence, Bangladesh has been working on promoting women in all spheres of national life. She said that the constitution of Bangladesh framed under the guidance of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman guarantees equal rights of women. She quoted the Article 28 (1) of the Constitution that says: The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. Clause (2) of the same Article stipulates: Women shall have equal rights with men in all spheres of the State and of public life. The PM said that her government has formulated Women Policy 2011. Under the policy, it has taken measures to ensure women’s overall development and active participation in the mainstream socio-economic activities and remove all the impediments to their empowerment. Their increased participation and contribution in sectors like politics, administration, education, businesses, sports, armed forces have been transforming the socio-economic landscape of Bangladesh, she added. She mentioned that gender parity in Bangladesh has improved across all sectors due to greater participation of women in socio-economic and political activities. “Bangladesh is at the top position in gender equality among South Asian countries," she told the seminar. PM Hasina said that Bangladesh is a role model for women’s participation in peacekeeping, peace-building, disaster management, and preventing violent extremism. In this regard, she said that it was her government which opened the door for women to be recruited in armed forces during her first tenure in 1996. Read more: Complete ongoing prioritised projects: PM directs secretaries At present, she said, Bangladesh is the topmost contributor of female peacekeepers in UN peacekeeping missions. So far, a total of 704 female peacekeepers from Bangladesh Armed Forces have participated in UN peacekeeping operations. Currently 373 female members are deployed in different peacekeeping missions. “On the other hand, a total of 1,624 female police officers from Bangladesh Police have taken part in peacekeeping operations and 150 officers are currently working.” She also said that women in Bangladesh are now serving as government secretaries, judges of Supreme Court, VCs of Universities and top position of many organisations. Sheikh Hasina said that she is glad to know that the participants will interact with the Rohingyas, forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals from Rakhine state. “We have given them shelter on humanitarian grounds. We could understand their plights and miseries as we had to undergo similar experience and shocks during our War of Liberation in 1971. The interactive session, I hope, will be a great experience for the participants to understand the victims of war and conflict.” Read more: After Bangladesh assisted Sri Lanka with $200mn, many countries made similar requests: PM Stop Russia-Ukraine war: The Bangladesh leader made a fervent appeal to world leaders to bring Russia and Ukraine to dialogue to end their conflict. “I called upon the world leaders and also everybody please stop this Russia-Ukraine war," she said. "If there is any conflict between any countries it can be solved through dialogue and political discussion" she suggested. "We do not want any war. We do not want any human to become refugee. Because I have all that experience. Thats why we want peace.” The prime minister said that as the current chair of the Women, Peace and Security Chiefs of Defence Network that was launched by Bangladesh, Canada and the United Kingdom in November 2017, all are pledged bound to carry forward the WPS agenda. “Formulating National Action Plan 2019-2022 on WPS, we have been implementing it. We have decided that implementation of the National Action Plan will continue till 2025," she said. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan and Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen also spoke at the programme. Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division Lieutenant General Waker-Uz-Zaman gave the welcome address.

Gender equality is a prerequisite for a sustainable tomorrow, Dr Saleemul Huq has said. "Women's rights will be ensured only when gender equality is established. It has been observed that women and girls are disproportionately impacted by the adversities of climate change," said Dr Saleemul, director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD). He made remarks at the webinar "Women Breaking Biases for Climate Justice," aligned with International Women's Day 2022  theme "Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow," organised by ActionAid Bangladesh Sunday ahead of March 8. Read:UN: Climate change to uproot millions, especially in Asia Dr Saleemul also mentioned that women's voices, responsibilities, and knowledge of the environment and the challenges they face need to be the central part of the adaptive response to a rapidly changing climate. "Although significant progress has been made by women across the globe since countries came into an agreement about the importance of women's participation in climate action at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, everyone – including young people, scientists, researchers, owners of multinational companies– must play an important role in solving this problem." Dr Mahbuba Nasreen, professor and founding director of the Institute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies, University of Dhaka, said when climate-induced disasters hit any community, it is the women and girls who are hit hardest. "Research shows violence against women increases after a natural disaster because of increased traumatic stress, scarcity of basic supplies, and destruction of authoritative systems." Runa Khan, founder and executive director of non-governmental organisation Friendship said: "Most of the char dwellers are climate migrants. Erosion of chars is putting millions of people at health risk. Nevertheless, women are making remarkable differences in their communities. They are participating in decision-making and mobilising themselves to take initiatives to address the ongoing climate crisis." Read: Dickson impressed by joint efforts to construct climate-resilient infrastructure in Bangladesh Farah Kabir, country director of ActionAid Bangladesh, said because of climate change, women in Bangladesh face greater challenges compared to men due to increased sexual harassment during any crisis. "Increased water-related stresses all over Bangladesh are leading to increased school dropouts of girls and child marriage; tripled burden because of displacement and migration associated with climate change impacts." Despite these challenges, she said, women in Bangladesh have demonstrated enormous capacity to respond to emergencies efficiently through increased women empowerment and decision-making ability of women.

United Nations, Oct. 30 (Xinhua/UNB) -- The UN Security Council on Tuesday adopted a resolution to reinforce the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in the lead up to the commemoration of its 20th anniversary.