The International Women’s Day will be celebrated in the country as elsewhere in the globe today (Monday) with focus on gender equality and the empowerment of women.
The theme of the day this year is ‘Women In Leadership: Achieving An Equal Future In A COVID-19 World.’
Aligning with this year’s theme, the government and various socio-cultural organisations will observe the day with numerous events.
On the occasion, the government will honor five females at the national level. State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Fazilatunnesa Indira will hand over the Joyeeta Award to the awardee women on behalf of the Prime Minister at a function at the auditorium of Bangladesh Shishu Academy in the capital. However, Prime Minister will join the function as the chief guest from her official residence Gonobhaban virtually.
Fazilatunnesa Indira said this at a press conference on Sunday. Secretary of the ministry Md Sayedul Islam and director general of Department of Woman Affairs Ram Chandra Das were present at the press conference, among others.
On the other hand, Bangladesh Mahila Parishad will hold a virtual discussion with its president Dr Fauzia Moslem in the chair.
Meanwhile, Tashnuva Anan Shishir and Nusrat Mou, two members of transgender community, will present a regular news bulletin and stage a drama respectively at a private TV channel today marking the day.
Recently, ahead of the International Women’s Day-2021, Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland QC named three inspirational women leaders including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who demonstrated extraordinary leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Like Bangladesh, the day will be observed throughout the world with the aim of breaking all the barriers preventing women from being a part of the decision-making table and ensuring the equal distribution of resources and power. This year the spotlight would be on the challenges brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic and the exemplary contribution of women in fighting this battle from the forefront.
Marking the day, UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner in a statement said, as countries and communities start to slowly recover from a devastating pandemic, we have the chance to finally end the exclusion and marginalization of women and girls. Women must have the opportunity to play a full role in shaping the pivotal decisions being made right now as countries respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic – choices that will affect the wellbeing of people and the planet for generations to come.
The first National Woman's Day was observed in the United States on February 28 in 1909. The special day emerged from the activities of labour movements. Later German delegates Clara Zetkin, Käte Duncker, Paula Thiede and others proposed at the 1910 International Socialist Woman's Conference that "a special Women's Day" to be organised annually. The day (March 8) was officially recognised by the United Nations in 1977. The day is still disregarded in many countries. However, in some countries, namely Bulgaria and Romania, the International Women’s Day is observed as equivalent to Mother’s Day.
