Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has called on all relevant ministries and departments to swiftly act on the actionable recommendations put forward by the Women’s Affairs Reform Commission, aiming to eliminate discrimination against women and promote gender equality.
Receiving the commission’s final report at the State Guest House Jamuna on Saturday, Dr Yunus emphasised the urgency of implementing feasible proposals under the current administration. He added that the remaining recommendations would be shared with political parties through the National Consensus Commission for broader support.
"The recommendations that are implementable should be accomplished quickly so that we can create an example for other countries of the world through this work," the Chief Adviser said.
He said the girls of the world are looking at the report of the commission as they will review it.
"They will be inspired. Women of other countries are also serious about it (the report)," Prof Yunus said.
He said the report of the women affairs reform commission is not just a women's matter but an overall issue.
This report will be printed and distributed, while it will be printed in the form of book like a textbook, he added.
The Chief Adviser said it should not be merely kept in offices as a document but the report should be made open to all.
Prof Yunus said the proposals of the commission will also be reached out to the political parties through the National Consensus Commission.
Speaking on the occasion, Commission chief Shireen Parveen Haque said in memory of those who lost their lives in the July uprising, they wanted to do something that would be beneficial for the country's people.
Citing the findings of the report, she said the recommendations have been divided into three parts.
Some recommendations can be accomplished by the interim government, while some can be done by the next elected government, and the hopes and aspirations of the women's movement have been highlighted in a separate section, Shireen said.
She said the reform commission has given 15 reform proposals.
Other members of the commission are: Maheen Sultan, senior fellow, BRAC Institute of Governance and Development; Advocate Kamrun Nahar; Kalpona Akter, president, Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation; Dr Halida Hanum Akhter, women's health expert; Sumaiya Islam, executive director, Bangladesh Nari Sramik Kendra; Nirupa Dewan, former member, National Human Rights Commission; Ferdousi Sultana, former senior social development adviser, Asian Development Bank; and Nishita Zaman Niha, a student representative, were present on the occasion.
In November 2024, the government formed the 10-member Women's Affairs Reform Commission asking it to submit its report to the Chief Adviser within 90 days.
