Referring to the empowerment of women as one of the priorities of the government, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said, "Our digital Bangladesh’s vision is virtually inclusive of women in the information technology sector."
The Prime Minister made the remarks in an earlier speech at the Action Coalition on 'Technology and Innovation for Gender Equality' organized by Generation Equality Forum 2021, Paris on Thursday (July 1).
She said her government has launched various practical projects aimed at creating IT professionals and skilled entrepreneurs.
Mentioning that various digital soft wares are being used in Bangladesh to prevent violence against women, the Prime Minister said 71,000 women have been provided cyber awareness training in the last three years to guide them towards enhanced security on cyber platforms.
The Prime Minister said the promises made by world leaders at the Fourth Summit on Women in Beijing in 1995 have not yet been fulfilled.
Noting that the number of women MPs is still 25 per cent and the participation of women in the workforce is less than 31 per cent, she said, "We must change this situation through bold policy measures and concerted action."
The Prime Minister said the world community in Beijing in 1995 made a bold commitment to women's empowerment. Unfortunately, many of these promises remain unfulfilled.
The Prime Minister said women's participation in global politics, economy and labor is not encouraging.
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Conference, Sheikh Hasina pledged to increase the participation of women in the ICT sector to 25 per cent by 2026 and 50 percent by 2041, in line with her earlier commitment.
The Generation Equality Forum is a global movement jointly organized by the governments of Mexico and France at the call of UN Women for Gender Equality.
The forum brings together specific, ambitious and transformative commitments to gender equality by bringing together governments, corporations, NGOs, youth-led groups and organizations. These are the roadmaps for gender equality created by the Action Coalition.