Diplomatic Desk:
UN Women’s Country Representative in Bangladesh Gitanjali Singh paid a courtesy call on State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam, MP. The meeting held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday (August 3, 2026) morning discussed in detail women’s empowerment, gender equality, climate change, Rohingya crisis and international cooperation.
In the meeting, Gitanjali Singh informed the State Minister about the various ongoing programs of UN Women to empower women and establish gender equality in Bangladesh. At the same time, she expressed her sincere gratitude for the continuous cooperation of the Bangladesh government in implementing UN Women’s activities.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam highlighted various initiatives taken by the government for women’s empowerment. She said that in addition to expanding opportunities for girls’ education, initiatives have been taken to launch Family Card and Pharma Card as people-oriented programs, which will also play a positive role in the socio-economic development of women.
She sought UN Women’s cooperation and partnership in Bangladesh’s proposed initiative to establish a “Global Platform to Combat Digital Harassment of Women” to prevent harassment of women on digital platforms. She also called for UN Women’s continued cooperation in addressing the disproportionate impact of climate change on women and girls.
In the context of the Rohingya crisis, the State Minister said that continued cooperation from UN agencies is needed for the speedy and safe repatriation of the Rohingya. She also emphasized on filling the funding gap for humanitarian assistance and ensuring justice and accountability for serious human rights violations committed against Rohingya women and girls in Myanmar.
The meeting also discussed the 71st session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), Bangladesh’s national report on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and the progress in formulating the next National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (NAP-WPS).
