Praising Bangladesh's situation in gender equality, Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Iwama Kiminori expressed his country's interest in working together to establish gender-balanced societies in the two countries.
"Japan is far behind Bangladesh's track record. This is the area we can learn from Bangladesh society, people, community," he said at a seminar on "Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress" at a city hotel on Monday.
"We can learn from each other for the common goal ... to create an environment that enables more women to participate in the society," he added.
Japan-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JBCCI), Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) and Japanese Commerce and Industry Association in Dhaka (JCIAD) jointly organised the event, marking the international Women's Day.
Executive Member (Grade-1) of International Investment Promotion at the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Mohsina Yasmin attended the seminar as special guest while former DCCI President Sameer Sattar and past JBCCI President Asif A Chowdhury spoke on the business aspect.
Co-Chief Executive Officer, Grameen Euglena Shiori Onishi, Managing Director of Green Delta Insurance Ltd Farzanah Chowdhury, JETRO Country Representative Yuji Ando and MD & CEO of Trust Bank Ltd Humaira Azam attended as panel discussants.
Citing a gender equity survey, the JETRO chief said Bangladesh is 59th among 146 countries where Japan ranks 125th.
Appreciating Bangladesh's performance in the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), he said many Japanese female entrepreneurs are now joining in the SMEs sector, and expressed the hope that support and cooperation to Bangladeshi females in the SMEs would contribute to a female-driven economy in the future.
The panelists cited their success stories to lead in respective sectors as the first females in sectors like insurance and banking, and said acknowledgement of women's unpaid work and inclusion of their contribution in the economy are necessary.
They also called for a change of mind set for both men and women to ensure equal opportunities in terms of access to finance, capacity building for women and women's perception in taking challenges in new avenues of businesses as well as professional lives to go to the top.
Director and Joint Treasurer of JBCCI Maria Howlader moderated the panel discussion while Director Saori Fujitmoto conducted the programme.
JBCCI President Myungho Lee and General Secretary Md. Anwar Shahid also spoke on the occasion.
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
