Experts hope women’s political empowerment to accelerate national development

Speakers at a national symposium have said that ensuring women's political empowerment will further accelerate women's development in Bangladesh.

They emphasised that greater political participation, representation, and leadership for women can be achieved through political commitment, effective democratic reforms, and internal changes within political parties.

These remarks were made on Saturday at a day-long national symposium titled "Women’s political participation, representation and leadership development," organised by WAVE Foundation and ActionAid Bangladesh at Hotel InterContinental in the capital.

The symposium, chaired by WAVE Foundation Executive Director Mohsin Ali, was attended by members of parliament Rasheda Begum Hira, Nusrat Tabassum, and Sanjida Islam Tulee as special guests.

Other participants included Bangladesh Election Commission Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed, Deputy Secretary Shah Alam, UN Women Representative Gitanjali Singh, Australian High Commission First Secretary (Political) Harry Thompson, Canadian High Commission Second Secretary (Development, Gender Equality) Stéphanie St-Laurent Brassard, representatives of various political parties, members of civil society, and media professionals.

In his closing remarks as the chief guest, Election Commissioner Md Anwarul Islam Sarkar said that coordinated efforts by the Election Commission, political parties, civil society, the media, and local communities are essential for promoting women's political participation and leadership.

He noted that such initiatives would play a vital role in advancing democratic reforms and strengthening decision-making institutions.

In his welcome address, WAVE Foundation Executive Director Mohsin Ali stressed the need to raise public awareness and amplify the voices of women politicians to promote women's political participation and leadership.

He said this would encourage greater involvement of women in democratic reforms and the electoral process.

UN Women Representative Gitanjali Singh said that inclusive democracy is not merely a women's issue but an essential condition for democracy itself. She emphasised that women must be recognised not only as voters but also as candidates, leaders, and decision-makers.

Australian High Commission representative Harry Thompson said political parties should view women not simply as beneficiaries of opportunities but as a significant political force.

Canadian High Commission representative Stéphanie St-Laurent Brassard noted that women's political participation also contributes positively to economic growth and social development.

A research paper presented at the symposium highlighted the need for political parties to implement the Representation of the People Order (RPO) and adopt gender-sensitive democratic reforms.

Separate panel discussions were also held on women's representation in local government, leadership development, and political violence against women.

Based on the day's discussions, a draft "Charter of Demands for Women's Political Empowerment" was presented.

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The proposed recommendations included internal reforms within political parties, mandatory nomination of a specified number of women candidates in national and local government elections, achieving 50-50 representation in the long term, conducting regular gender audits of political parties, establishing complaint resolution mechanisms to address political violence against women, and increasing women's representation in local government through direct elections.

The organisers said that the opinions and recommendations gathered during the symposium would be finalised and submitted to policymakers.

WAVE Foundation is implementing the project titled "Strengthening Gender-Sensitive and Inclusive Decision-Making Structures for Democratic Reform in Bangladesh" in partnership with ActionAid Bangladesh.

The project, carried out with the support of the Bangladesh Election Commission, aims to make democratic institutions more inclusive and ensure equal participation of women and men in local and national electoral processes.