Women’s advancement is a shared responsibility: Shama

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam has said that 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 added.

Shama made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at the inauguration of a workshop at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center in the capital on Sunday, the foreign ministry said in a social media post.

The state minister highlighted Bangladesh’s pioneering role in 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 UN Women’s support.

She recalled the important initiatives of former prime minister 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.

Among others, Dr Rowsan Ara Begum, secretary of Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, spoke as a special guest and stressed that the next-generation NAP should be well designed, adequately financed, effectively coordinated and, ultimately, owned by the women it serves.

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Additionally, Gitanjali Singh, UN Women representative in Bangladesh, 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 organisations to contribute to shaping a next-generation WPS framework responsive to evolving national, regional and global contexts.