Bangladesh Mahila Parishad convened a press conference on June 18th, 2026, at 3:30 PM at the Dhaka Reporters Unity to present a comprehensive analysis of the Gender Budget for the fiscal year 2026-27, with a focus on women’s empowerment and equality. The event brought together prominent economists, gender experts, and civil society leaders to evaluate the budget’s effectiveness in addressing the needs of women and marginalized communities.
The press conference was moderated by Dr. Fauzia Moslem, President of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad. The proceedings commenced with welcome remarks delivered by Maleka Banu, General Secretary of the organization. Professor Sharmind Nilormi, from the Department of Economics at Jahangirnagar University and a member of the Central Committee of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, presented the keynote analysis. Dr. Sayma Haque Bidisha, Professor of Economics at the University of Dhaka, participated as the distinguished discussant. The session was conducted by Rabeya Khatun Shanti, Movement Secretary of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, and was attended by leaders, executive committee members, officials of the organization, and journalists from both print and electronic media.
Maleka Banu underscored the imperative of assessing the national budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year through a gender-sensitive lens. She emphasized that it is crucial to evaluate how effectively the budget contributes to protecting the rights and advancing the empowerment of women and marginalized populations. She stressed that the successful implementation of the gender budget requires ensuring transparency, accountability, and robust inter-ministerial coordination. She called upon the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and other relevant government institutions to adopt more effective measures in fulfilling constitutional commitments, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and honoring international obligations. While acknowledging that budget allocations have shown an upward trend, Banu cautioned against complacency and urged that these allocations must translate into tangible, meaningful changes in the lives of women rather than remaining mere statistical achievements. She further emphasized the need to implement the recommendations put forward for women and other disadvantaged groups and to undertake initiatives for the redistribution of necessary resources.
Professor Sharmind Nilormi, in her keynote presentation, provided a detailed analytical overview of the gender budget framework. She noted that over the past three fiscal years, the Finance Division has been utilizing the Gender Financial Tracking model to align Bangladesh’s gender budget with international standards. The 2026-27 gender budget incorporates new analytical dimensions concerning women’s empowerment, gender equality, and the implementation of government commitments. She highlighted several notable initiatives introduced in the budget, including the recognition of women as heads of households through family cards, the provision of free education for female students up to the postgraduate level, the establishment of women’s welfare centers at the union level, and financial and skill development support for women entrepreneurs. However, Professor Nilormi pointed out that while commitments regarding workplace safety, equal wages, and the prevention of violence against women have been articulated, the corresponding budget allocations remain unclear and lack specificity. She observed that although various indicators on gender equality have been presented, the analysis of implementation risks and challenges is conspicuously absent. The gender-related allocation for FY 2026-27 constitutes 34.8 percent of the total budget and 4.8 percent of GDP, reflecting a modest increase from the previous fiscal year. The budget is organized around four thematic areas: education, health and welfare, economic participation, and women’s empowerment with access to public services. Despite these thematic allocations, Professor Nilormi expressed concern that allocations for women’s safety, cyber violence prevention, skill and technological capacity building, and decent work have witnessed a decline. She also noted that the implementation status and budget provisions for announced initiatives such as daycare centers and women farmers’ cards remain ambiguous and warrant further scrutiny.
She proceeded to outline several recommendations for the effective implementation of the gender budget. These include the synthesis of disaggregated data from sources such as the National Board of Revenue and taxpayer identification numbers, enhancement of cost efficiency, and the establishment of measurable indicators and key performance indicators for each theme and sub-theme. She advocated for comprehensive mapping of risks and challenges along with the formulation of mitigation strategies. Additionally, she proposed the formation of implementation monitoring committees at both local and national levels with participation from government and civil society, and suggested that the review of implementation could commence with a select group of projects that are critically important for women’s welfare.
Dr. Sayma Haque Bidisha, in her capacity as the distinguished discussant, elaborated on the various challenges and necessary reforms pertaining to the gender budget and women’s economic empowerment. She placed particular emphasis on the importance of data accuracy and transparent evaluation for the successful implementation of the gender budget. Dr. Bidisha called for the establishment of quality childcare and daycare centers, increased participation of women in technical and technology education, and ensuring easy access to information for entrepreneurs. She argued that social safety net programs should not be confined to cash allowances but must be integrated with training and employment opportunities. She further stressed the importance of maintaining quality standards in welfare projects for women and ensuring regular project monitoring alongside timely budget allocation. Dr. Bidisha concluded by advocating for a comprehensive long-term action strategy to enhance women’s capabilities and secure their active participation in the national economy.
Dr. Fauzia Moslem responded to questions from journalists and reaffirmed that the gender budget is fundamentally designed to establish women’s empowerment and equality. She observed that women’s social security is a comprehensive and multifaceted issue in the implementation of the gender budget. Beyond the provision of family cards, consideration must be given to how social security is effectively ensured. Alongside social protection, women’s rights to resources must be guaranteed. Dr. Fauzia Moslem called for increased allocations in the sectors of education, health, and cyber security. She emphasized the need to assess the effectiveness of measures undertaken by the Ministry of Finance and underscored the critical importance of proper monitoring, analysis, and evaluation of the gender budget to ensure that its objectives are realized.
The press conference concluded with a vote of thanks, and the proceedings were conducted in a professional and engaging manner, reflecting the collective commitment of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad to advancing the cause of gender equality and women’s empowerment in the country.
