On Thursday, June 25, 2026, at 3:30 PM, the inauguration ceremony of the 16th batch of the certificate course on “Gender, Women’s Empowerment and Development” was held at the Anwara Begum-Munira Khan Auditorium of the central office of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad in Dhaka. The event was organized by the Training, Research, and Library Sub-Committee of the organization.
The ceremony was presided over by Dr. Fauzia Moslem, President of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad. Welcome remarks were delivered by Maleka Banu, General Secretary of the organization. An overview of the course curriculum was presented by Shima Moslem, Course Director and Joint General Secretary of the organization.
Dr. Fauzia Moslem, President of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, stated that Bangladesh Mahila Parishad has been continuously conducting the Gender and Development Certificate Course for the past 16 years. She emphasized that the contributions of the faculty members and the Training Sub-committee are crucial to maintaining the quality of the course. She noted that the women’s movement is not merely programmatic but rests on a strong philosophical foundation. She underscored the necessity of theoretical engagement to deeply comprehend issues of women’s liberation, gender equality, and human emancipation. She further observed that gender has become a significant topic of discussion globally.
The overarching objective of various training programs, research initiatives, and knowledge practices centered on gender, women’s rights, and empowerment worldwide is to foster a deeper understanding of the philosophy of women’s empowerment and liberation. Quoting French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir, she said, “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.” She noted that society today largely acknowledges this truth. She stressed the need for a profound analysis of the structures that create and perpetuate discrimination against women.
She emphasized the importance of raising awareness among the new generation about issues such as the non-recognition of women’s domestic and care work, questions of gender diversity, and the patriarchal control over women’s language, culture, mobility, and thought. She also called for more effectively integrating women’s historical roles and leadership in environmental and climate adaptation into development discourse. She asserted that by combining field experiences, academic research, data, and analysis, the women’s movement can become stronger, better organized, and more effective.
Maleka Banu, General Secretary of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, stated that women are not born into discrimination; although born as human beings, they are subjected to discrimination through various social, cultural, economic, and political processes. She noted that the primary goal of the women’s movement is to identify and eliminate the root causes of this discrimination. She further emphasized the need to reanalyze and restructure the imbalances in power between men and women, social structures, and power relations. It is from this realization that Bangladesh Mahila Parishad introduced the certificate course on “Gender, Women’s Empowerment and Development.” Over the past 16 years, this course has been conducted with the collaboration of teachers, researchers, human rights activists, lawyers, and experts from various universities across the country.
She acknowledged that the course has been able to run successfully and consistently due to their knowledge, experience, and voluntary contributions. She expressed her hope that through this course, participating students would gain deeper knowledge and sensitivity on gender issues and would play more active roles in the women’s movement, human rights, and social justice. She also expressed her expectation that their engagement with society and the women’s movement would become deeper and stronger.
Shima Moslem, Course Director and Joint General Secretary of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, stated that as a movement-oriented, democratic, and voluntary women’s organization, the primary goal of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad is to establish a non-discriminatory, humane, and equitable society. On the path to achieving this goal, it has become evident that women in society face various forms of discrimination and deprivation.
To advance women’s human rights, Bangladesh Mahila Parishad continues to work with a multi-dimensional and holistic perspective. She noted that a humane society cannot be built solely through the efforts of women’s movement activists; it requires the collective initiative of all members of society, regardless of gender. To strengthen this effort, a gender-sensitive and equity-based perspective is essential. With this in mind, the course has been made accessible to people from diverse professions and social classes. She further informed that the course modules have been designed to enable the analysis of the relationship between gender and various subjects. Each topic of the course will be discussed from a gender perspective, which will help participants develop constructive thinking and analytical skills.
The inauguration ceremony of the certificate course was attended by 25 enrolled students, along with leaders of the central committee, executive members, officials of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, and approximately 60 other participants. The event was moderated by Rina Ahmed, Secretary of the Training, Research, and Library Sub-committee of the Central Committee of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad.
