Bangladesh’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security
The Daily Star and Bangladesh Nari Progati Sangha (BNPS), with the support of UN Women, jointly organized an online discussion titled “Bangladesh’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security” on March 18, 2021. Here we publish a summary of the discussion.
Taufiq Al Mannan, Human Rights & Gender Specialist, General Member, NRT
Derived from the four pillars of the WPS agenda, the NAP has been primarily divided into three main areas.
The first area is prevention. This area addresses the prevention of various forms of violence and conflict. It outlines what must be prevented and how it must be done, particularly in the case of sexual and gender-based violence. Additionally, it recommends strengthening social cohesion and religious harmony and efforts to ensure acts of violence are not normalised. Those involved in governmental institutions should ensure that there are sensitive laws and initiatives to promote peace and harmony for all genders. A platform should be created to enable regular discussions among representatives of civil society, women leaders, and women organisations.
Participation is the second area. This area is built on playing a role in raising awareness regarding the necessity of women’s participation, having laws and policies needed to increase their participation, and increasing women’s capacity to participate at the community and national levels. A national awareness campaign is required to assess the obstacles to women’s participation in decision-making. A large number of women work as labourers now but there is a huge lack of female supervisors. Research must be conducted to assess the reasons behind this. Informing women’s committees in the parliament, especially about the WPS agenda, are important. At the regional level, arrangements should be made to make representatives of the government, NGOs, and community-based organisations (CBOs) aware of these issues.
The third area is protection, relief and recovery. It is concerned with how security and support will be provided and how women can be rehabilitated and can return to their normal lives. The objectives of this area are as follows: when a critical situation arises, whether natural or man-made, it is addressed appropriately. Secondly, it is expected that the peacekeeping missions will have increased skill and capacity, with a rise in women’s participation and decision-making abilities. Additionally, first responders have a clear understanding of what needs to be done to ensure women’s safety, security, and well-being.
