Women and Children Affairs Adviser, Sharmeen S. Murshid, on Thursday urged for enhanced global cooperation to expedite the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, aiming to accelerate progress towards gender equality.
Speaking at the sixty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) in New York, Murshid called for stronger partnerships, increased investments, and renewed global commitments to ensure that no woman or girl is left behind in the pursuit of gender equality.
In her statement, Murshid highlighted the crucial role women have played in the fight for self-emancipation, democracy, and social justice. She specifically pointed to the women who led the July uprising of 2024—a movement against fascism and injustice, where women made up 65% of the young revolutionaries.
Murshid also touched on the transformative changes in Bangladesh following the fall of the fascist government of Sheikh Hasina, which led to the formation of an Interim Government committed to restoring democracy. She explained that the gender landscape in Bangladesh had changed significantly, with the Interim Government launching a series of reforms aimed at eliminating discrimination. Notably, the establishment of the "Women Affairs Reform Commission" was highlighted as a key step in addressing gender disparity and violence against women.
The Interim Government has also launched Quick Response Teams to assist victims of violence within 24 hours of an incident. Murshid emphasized the importance of removing reservations on key articles of the CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women), specifically articles 13(a), 16.1(f), and 16.1(c), as part of Bangladesh’s commitment to gender equality.
At the CSW69 session, Murshid participated in a Ministerial Roundtable on "National Mechanisms for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and Girls." She shared Bangladesh's progress and best practices in implementing the Beijing Platform for Action, under the leadership of Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.
On the sidelines of the event, Adviser Murshid held bilateral meetings with counterparts from China, Sweden, Mexico, and Finland, discussing collaboration on women's development, gender equality, combating violence against women and children, and the development of a care economy as a social business in Bangladesh.
Murshid is also set to deliver a keynote speech at a high-level side event on "Investing in Care—A Pathway to Economic Growth and Gender Equality," co-organized by Bangladesh, Nepal, and Finland. This event will feature ministers from Nepal, high-level government representatives from Bangladesh, Nepal, and Finland, as well as representatives from UN Women, ILO, ADB, World Bank, civil society, and international organizations.
Additionally, Murshid will hold bilateral meetings with representatives from Türkiye and Tunisia to further discuss gender equality and social protection.
Adviser Sharmeen Murshid is currently on an official visit to New York and Washington, D.C., to attend the CSW69 session, which runs from March 10 to 21, 2025. She will also engage with the World Bank on gender equality, women's empowerment, investing in social care, economic inclusion, social protection, and combating gender-based violence.
