UN Women Country Representative Gitanjali Singh meets State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam in Dhaka. Photo : Ministry

DHAKA, August 3, 2026 (BSS) – State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam today sought UN Women's support for Bangladesh's proposal to establish a Global Platform to Address Digital Harassment against Women, saying international cooperation is essential to tackle the growing challenge of online violence against women and girls.

The issue came up when UN Women Country Representative in Bangladesh Gitanjali Singh paid a courtesy call on the state minister at foreign ministry here, said a ministry’s press release.  

During the meeting, Shama highlighted the government's initiatives to promote women's empowerment, including expanding educational opportunities for girls and introducing people-centred programmes such as Family Card and Farmer Card.

She urged UN Women to partner with Bangladesh in advancing the proposed global platform to combat digital harassment targeting women.

The state minister also called for continued cooperation from UN Women in addressing the disproportionate impacts of climate change on women and girls.

On the Rohingya issue, Shama emphasised the need for sustained support from UN agencies to facilitate the early, safe and voluntary repatriation of the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals.

She stressed the importance of addressing humanitarian funding shortfalls and ensuring justice and accountability for the grave human rights violations committed against Rohingya women and girls in Myanmar.

During the meeting, Gitanjali Singh briefed the state minister on UN Women's ongoing programmes aimed at advancing women's empowerment and gender equality in Bangladesh.

She expressed appreciation for the continued support extended by the government of Bangladesh in facilitating UN Women's efforts to implement its mandate.

The two sides also discussed Bangladesh's preparations for the 71st Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the country's national reports on implementing the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and the formulation of the next National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (NAP-WPS).