PM urges all to help implement national women policy

FE Team | Published: April 27, 2011 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

CHITTAGONG, Apr 26 (bdnews24.com): Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina called upon all to help the government in implementing the proposed Women Development Policy (WDP) for the welfare of the country's women, report agencies. The PM expressed the hope that the country's women would stand against the misinterpretation of the proposed women policy. She said that a certain quarter 'trading in religion' has been trying to mislead the people by misinterpreting the proposed Women Development Policy, although Islam as a religion never approves inequality between man and woman. Sheikh Hasina made the remarks while laying the foundation of the permanent campus for Asian University for Women (AUW) in Chittagong Tuesday. AUW Chancellor and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's wife Cherie Blair presided over the function while its acting vice-chancellor Kamal Ahmed delivered his welcome address. The function was also addressed, among others, by Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid and World Bank (WB) Group Managing Director Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Sheikh Hasina also urged the women community as well as conscious citizens of the country to thwart the evil designs of the vested quarters. She said that the government was fully committed to provide all-out support for women empowerment in the country. Enhancing women empowerment and ensuring their rights are the key focuses in the new National Women Development Policy. She said that at present, education particularly for girls, is a priority of the government. The PM said she firmly believed that the politico-economic empowerment is a prerequisite to empowering the women. "They (women) are encouraged to participate in politics and administration, and are recruited in all professions including the armed services", she added. The PM hoped that the girl students, who will be coming out of AUW, would emerge as modern, progressive and matured women, full of self-confidence, and ready to face challenges of an ever changing complex world. The government has donated lands to the AUW worth US$ 80 million. This is the first time the government has made such donation to a private university. Hasina expressed the hope that all the Asian countries and the WB would take this contribution of Bangladesh into serious consideration and come forth with their own financial package offer and support to enable the university to have its own campus with buildings as soon as possible. Cherie Blair said that she was very much excited to have the official duty for the AUW and thanked Sheikh Hasina for her sincere cooperation towards the development of the university. She also praised the vision and wisdom of the PM for the development and empowerment of the women. The AUW would be a good example of regional cooperation across the world, Cherie Blair said, adding that Bangladesh has emerged as the bridge between the South Asian and ASEAN countries. Some businessmen of Chittagong gave several cheques to the PM worth Tk 20 million as donation to the AUW, and the PM handed over the cheques to the chancellor of the university.