Thrust on women's participation in mainstream economy

Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury has said women are the half of world's population and they must engage themselves with the mainstream economy to make the development of the inclusive economic growth effective, reports BSS.

She made the remarks while delivering speech in a session titled 'Speakers Dialogue on Governance: Economy and Development' at the 141th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) conference in Serbia, said a press release in Dhaka on Wednesday.

"Economic empowerment of women is the reason behind the remarkable progress in socioeconomic index and the eight per cent GDP growth that Bangladesh has

witnessed recently", she said highlighting the need of bringing the women out of the poverty circle for an overall sustainable development.

The JS Speaker also said under the prudent leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh has transformed into a role model of women empowerment along with the rapid economic growth, the release said.

She urged the IPU member states to play a strong role in ensuring gender equality while establishing sustainable economic development.

Speakers of other IPU member countries also spoke at the dialogue session.