Published: 08 March 2022
Dhaka, 5 March 2022: Marking the International Women’s Day (IWD) 2022, TIB, in association with Cabinet Division, Bangladesh, organised a workshop for the country’s women Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNO) on gender equality in ensuring SDGs and good governance. The UN declared theme of IWD, “Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow”, was the basis of TIB’s activities this year.
Twenty-three women UNOs from eight divisions participated in the “Sustainable Development Goals, Good Governance and Women” workshop. This is the 6th edition of the workshop started in 2017, focusing on SDG 5 and 16 that deal with gender equality and good governance, respectively.
In the introductory speech, TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman shed light on the synergies between good governance and corruption while highlighting the negative impacts of corruption on the country’s overall growth.
He said, “Corruption hampers good governance and establishing good governance helps reduce corruption. So, the relationship is interdependent. The cost of corruption is high, and it is higher for the poor. However, corruption is a global problem. No country could score 100 per cent in the Corruption Perception Index.”
He also said Bangladesh had come a long way in closing the gender equality gap, stable economic growth, and life expectancy. However, the country is still lagging in reducing corruption.
Referring to a recent study of TIB on women UNOs, he said, “Women UNOs face multifaceted problems including administrative problems and sexual harassment. It is no secret that they face tremendous pressure from the political quarters while delivering their responsibilities. And it is particularly courageous on the part of the UNOs that they face those challenges on their resolve.”
Women UNOs who participated in the workshop also talked about challenges they face while carrying out these activities. They suggested social and behavioural change initiatives to develop women-friendly workspaces free from the patriarchal mentality to overcome these challenges. They urged policymakers to include more women in the decision-making process.
TIB Outreach and Communication Director Sheikh Manjur-E-Alam conducted the introductory session while Network for Research and Training Executive Director Sanaiyya Faheem Ansari conducted the workshop.
In the training session, veteran trainer Sanaiyya discussed SDGs, gender equality, and empowering women. Later, the participants engaged in Q & A sessions and group work with the trainer.
Following the group work, Sheikh Manjur-E-Alam said, “We all know the problems and solutions that group exercises have identified, but the problems remain unresolved. We should try to find the exact solutions to resolve problems in terms of gender equality and empowerment.”
Upon completing their workshop, all the participants received a certificate from TIB.
