The Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat, in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), organized an orientation workshop for newly elected Members of Parliament (MPs) from ruling and opposition parties. The event highlighted the critical role legislators play in advancing Bangladesh's demographic dividend, Sustainable Development Goals, and commitments under the International Conference on Population and Development.
Workshop Highlights
The workshop brought together parliamentarians, government officials, and technical experts to discuss maternal and reproductive health, population dynamics, gender equality, youth empowerment, and prevention of child marriage. In his opening remarks, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Bir Bikram, emphasized Parliament's central role in translating policy ambitions into concrete legislative action.
The orientation featured three thematic sessions jointly delivered by MPs and UNFPA experts. Dr. M. Shahidul Islam, Chief of Demographic Data and Intelligence at UNFPA, presented Bangladesh's demographic outlook, underscoring the country's unique opportunity to harness demographic, gender, and longevity dividends through strategic investments in young people, women's economic participation, and healthy ageing.
Key Discussions
Fahima Nasrin, MP, examined the persistent challenges of gender-based violence and child marriage, highlighting the need for stronger legal frameworks, sustained investment, and survivor-centred systems to protect women and girls. Dr. Mahbubur Rahman, MP, presented priorities for strengthening maternal and reproductive health services, including building climate-resilient health systems and expanding access to quality sexual and reproductive health care, particularly in vulnerable communities.
UNFPA's Commitment
UNFPA reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the Parliament of Bangladesh in strengthening the country's legislative framework on issues affecting women, girls, and young people. This includes supporting dialogue and technical engagement on reforms to the Child Marriage Restraint Act, the Prevention and Protection from Domestic Violence Act, legislation on the prevention of workplace sexual harassment, and other laws that advance gender equality, protection from violence, and sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Significance and Future Steps
Presentations underscored that Parliament's leadership is essential in shaping policies, allocating resources, and modernizing legislation that enables every woman, girl, and young person to realize their rights and aspirations. The workshop forms part of the strengthening Parliament's capacity in integration of population and development issues initiative, which seeks to equip MPs with the evidence, tools, and partnerships needed to advance inclusive and sustainable development through informed legislative action.
