To build smart Bangladesh, investing in the capabilities of women is essential

The theme for this year's International Women's Day, "Invest in women: Accelerate progress," underscores the imperative of investing in women's empowerment. Keeping that theme forefront, International Women's Day will be observed on March 8th. I believe this theme is exceptionally significant.

That's why this specific theme has been chosen this time. Simply discussing advancing women or their progress isn't enough. To effectively implement that, it requires an economic component. It necessitates budgetary allocations, resource provisions, just like any other aspect that we consider important.

When we talk about investing in women, it signifies recognizing that women worldwide are incredibly talented and possess remarkable abilities. It's about creating opportunities for their talents to flourish and providing them with the resources to seize those opportunities.

To achieve that, arrangements need to be made for various training programs tailored for them. Similarly, ensuring that girls have access to educational opportunities from an early age is crucial, and we must also keep an eye on that aspect.

Again, women who are engaged as small and medium entrepreneurs are often leading their own efforts to advance. To support them, various types of loans with favorable terms and different economic incentives should be provided to help them move forward. Therefore, in every sector, the issue of investment is becoming increasingly prominent, and giving it priority is absolutely imperative. So, I hope that with a focus on this theme for this year, in the days to come, we not only adopt policies but also allocate the necessary funds to ensure the implementation of those policies that will propel women forward.

In this regard, I would like to highlight the pioneering role of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was the first to allocate special provisions for women in the budget of Bangladesh. She initiated this by allocating separate special provisions for women in four ministries initially. She initiated this by allocating special provisions for women in the national budget for the first time. Now, every ministry has a special allocation budget for women. This is an extremely significant and effective step, a milestone towards advancing women and investing in them.

The theme for this year's International Women's Day, "Invest in women: Accelerate progress," consists of two components. "Investing in Women" is one part, and the other is "Accelerate Progress," meaning that investing in women will expedite your progress or development. These two aspects are intricately linked; they are mutually complementary. If you fail to invest in women, the desired development you aspire to achieve will be hindered.

Therefore, in all development endeavors, initiatives, projects, policies, or decisions, regardless of the context, there must be financial allocations for women. Alongside this, there should be adequate opportunities for girls' education. Ensuring comprehensive opportunities for education, starting from early childhood education to primary, secondary, and tertiary education, without any hindrance for girls in any field, should be prioritized. Each of these aspects is intertwined with financial support. There is an economic dimension to all of them.

For this reason, it is crucial to have special allocations for women in the national budget. Emphasis must be placed on women's development, women's health, women's education, allocations for women entrepreneurs, providing training and skill development for women, advancing human capital through women's empowerment, and asserting importance in every field. Simultaneously, in the realm of information technology, which now drives the world as a driving force, attention must also be paid to ensuring that women are not left behind and are targeted for advancement in this field as well. However, we must ensure that there is no digital divide. Investing in our women will ensure that they are included and empowered in these matters.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has taken Bangladesh to a unique height in women's empowerment and development worldwide. The reason for this is her adoption of various women-friendly policies, their implementation, enactment of laws, and creation of a conducive environment, through which women today can carve out a special place for themselves.

A significant example of investment in women is that our Prime Minister has included every ministry in the national budget, which is referred to as a Gender Responsive Budget. This means that there is a separate allocation specifically for women. There are allocations in the Health Ministry, Education Ministry, and in every sector. This is indeed a unique example. Not all countries in the world have this. Bangladesh has played a pioneering role in this regard.

In addition, she has allocated funds for income-generating training programs. Various IT training programs, computer training programs have been arranged to empower women with ICT knowledge. Additionally, to ensure that children are familiar with information technology from an early age, digital labs named after Sheikh Russell have been established in every school. In my constituency of Pirganj, there is a Sheikh Kamal IT Innovation Center. There, various IT training programs are provided, offering opportunities for both women and men to acquire skills. These investments will play a supportive role in creating smart citizens and smart women in the days ahead.

However, economic empowerment is a different issue. It enables a woman to be self-reliant, stand on her own feet, and create her own financial independence. This is a form of economic empowerment. However, it is also the responsibility of the state to invest in women. Those of us working in this field have a collective responsibility. But actions speak louder than words. To make it happen, women need to be provided with various training opportunities. Income-generating training programs should be implemented to enhance their skills. There is financial investment involved in all these areas. We are achieving so much success simply because Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has included these matters in the national budget.

Author: The fourth-time Speaker of the National Parliament and politician.