DHAKA, April 12, 2023 (BSS) - State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Fazilatun Nessa Indira called on UN Women to work together with Bangladesh to increase women's participation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education for their further empowerment.

 
"Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman included the provision of equal rights for men and women in our constitution in 1972," Indira said.
 
"Bangabandhu's worthy successor, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has taken various suitable and thoughtful steps to increase the efficiency of women and create scope of employment for them to make them financially independent," the state minister said.
 
The state minister made the remarks this morning, as Sarah Knibbs, the Regional Director of United Nations Women (UN Women) Asia Pacific, made a courtesy call on her in the ministry conference room, said a press release here.
 
Stating that the government is implementing various projects to ensure the participation of women in IT and e-commerce to 30 percent by 2030 and 50 percent by 2041, she said "With the directives of PM Hasina, the ministry is working to implement the program of inserting women's domestic work in GDP in future."
 
She then thanked UN Women for assisting the Women and Child Affairs Ministry in formulating and implementing projects like - Gender Responsive Budget, National Resilience Programme, Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
 
Sarah assured the state minister that the UN WOMEN will work together with the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs in Bangladesh on women's empowerment and socio-economic development, the release added.
 
Senior officials of the ministry, officials and representatives of the UN Women were also present at the meeting.