PM urges global leaders to take concerted efforts to rescue poor women from dire straits

NEW YORK, Sept 22 (BSS) - Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today called upon the global leaders to undertake concerted efforts to rescue and raise the poor women of the world from their dire straits.

"I believe that the world has a moral and ethical obligation to rescue and raise the poor women of the globe from their dire straits," she said while delivering her keynote speech at a seminar at the 'Teachers Building' here on the sidelines of the 66th UN General Assembly.

The World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Women jointly arranged the seminar on 'Economic Empowerment of Rural Women and Food and Nutritional Security', while the Bangladesh government and the Royal Dutch government were the co-sponsors of the event.

The First Executive Director and Under-Secretary-General of UN Women Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN World Food Programme Josette Sheeran and the Netherlands Foreign minister Prof. Uri Rosenthal, among others, spoke on the occasion.

The Prime Minister said the World Poverty and Hunger Report 2010 and Food and Agriculture Organization indicate 1.34 billion people worldwide live under US $ 1.25 or less a day, while 1.02 billion suffer from malnutrition.

Of the ultra poor population, she said, nearly 70 percent are women and children usually due to conflict and inequitable economic systems. "It is imperative that we right this colossal wrong and make our world a fairer place for all."

Highlighting the steps her government has undertaken for women development, she said Bangladesh Constitution enshrines 'women shall have equal rights with men in all spheres of the state and of public life' and the government policies put women's empowerment at the center of our development agenda.

"We believe that reducing hunger and poverty is indelibly interlinked achieving gender parity and empowerment of women, and better maternal health," she said.

The Prime Minister said the government efforts have focused on women's political, economic, and socio-cultural empowerment, especially at the grassroots level.

"Our National Women Development Policy has provisions for education, health and employment security, all policies which are also reflected in our "Vision - 2021" aimed at transforming Bangladesh into a middle-income country by 2021," she said.

She said the government strategy has been to champion political and economic empowerment of Bangladesh's rural women.

"We believe that better socio-economic involvement sets the necessary preconditions for ensuring the women's access to food and services. It also gives the women better access to resources, boosts self-confidence, and reduces the feminization of poverty," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh with a population of 150 million is on the way to becoming self-sufficient in food and women have a significant contribution in this success.

"Our government is facilitating rural women's access to agricultural technologies and loans for agro-processing, homestead gardening, nurseries, bee- keeping, and other activities," she said.

Today, she said, Bangladesh is globally acclaimed for its many achievements in empowering rural women. "As recognition for our national efforts in reducing child mortality, we were given the UN Award for MDG-4 during last year's UNGA Session."

The Prime Minister said Bangladesh also achieved MDG-5 last year by reducing Maternal Mortality Rates by two-thirds. "We are certainly on track to achieve many of the women empowerment and health related MDGs."

"Nevertheless, if we are to attain the MDGs by the stipulated 2015, we will have to work even harder, especially in the face of the challenges rising from the impact of global economic recession, world food insecurity, and particularly climate change," she added.

Sheikh Hasina said since education is a very powerful tool for empowering women, the government is providing girls with free education up to Class 12. "We are also giving stipends to girls in rural secondary schools, and are now planning to provide free tuition to them up to degree level," she said.

The Prime Minister said the government has also initiated and expanded social safety nets for the vulnerable and marginalized in our society.

"In collaboration with the World Food Program, we run the Vulnerable Group Development (VGD), the country's largest social safety net, directly assisting 750,000 extremely poor women with food, and training in income generating activities."

To reduce feminization of poverty, she said, the government also has other social safety nets in place like widow allowance to 92,000 women, and the allowance for destitute women, and women with disabilities.

"We celebrate empowerment of women in every walk of life and our inspiration comes from the Father of the Nation and my father, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who envisioned a Bangladesh where women would have equal rights with men," she said.

The Prime Minister thanked the World Food Program as well as Bangladesh's development partners and other international organizations for their consistent support in partnering with us, in improving the living standards of rural women.

"If the developed world only keeps its promises made at Monterrey, the UN Millennium Summit and the LDC VI in Istanbul, our efforts will result in quick success," she said.

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