Social welfare and women and children affairs adviser Sharmeen S Murshid on Sunday highlighted the government鈥檚 commitment to advancing women鈥檚 empowerment and expanding opportunities for women in Bangladesh.
The adviser made the remark while speaking as chief guest at a policy dialogue titled Public Funding for Women Candidates at the Krishibid Institution in Dhaka.
The dialogue was organised under the B-Space project of Democracy International with financial support from UKAID, said a press release.
She welcomed the draft ordinance presented at the policy dialogue on public funding for women candidates and praised the diverse stakeholder feedback shared during the event.
The dialogue brought together leaders from political parties, the Election Commission, members of the Women Reform Commission, representatives from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, July Kanya, media professionals, and civil society leaders.
Sharmeen S Murshid described the dialogue as a significant milestone towards Bangladesh鈥檚 democratic journey, reflecting a collective commitment from all political parties to strengthen national leadership and reform through women鈥檚 empowerment.
At the event, a gender-sensitive public funding framework for women candidates was proposed with a simplified application process and robust monitoring mechanisms to ensure transparency.
DI country director Md Abdul Alim presented the draft and discussed its key proposals.
Speakers unanimously agreed that the initiative would play a vital role in promoting inclusive and representative governance.
Political leaders expressed support for the ordinance and pledged to refine and pass it swiftly for implementation.
The Election Commission also assured that, once adopted, it would take effective steps to enforce it.
DI chief of party Catherine Cecil said that international research showed public funding significantly increases women鈥檚 political representation.
She emphasised that Bangladesh now had a transformative opportunity to reshape its democratic landscape, and that public funding would ensure equal opportunities for women to move forward.
