Parties must break old mindsets to widen women’s role in grassroots politics: Shama Obaed

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said that women at the grassroots level must be empowered and given greater opportunities for direct political participation so that they can prepare themselves for future national leadership.

"Development is not possible while leaving behind 50 percent of the country’s population; therefore, political parties must change their mindset and policies to ensure women’s participation at the grassroots level," she said at the CGS dialogue titled “Strengthening Young Women’s Political Leadership in Bangladesh” at a city hotel on Saturday.

The state minister said education strengthens women’s decision-making capacity, but they still face numerous barriers in politics and society, including online harassment.

The state and the government must play an effective role in addressing these challenges.

Supporting women should be treated as a matter of policy, she added.

Shama Obaed further said that the path is never easy, but women must move forward with merit and self-respect despite the obstacles, while all stakeholders should work together for transparent and accountable politics.

With the aim of strengthening ideological dialogue and democratic practices among young women politicians, the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS), in collaboration with the German political foundation Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), has already completed four consecutive workshops under its Politics Lab initiative.

As a continuation of this initiative, CGS organized a concluding dialogue attended by young women politicians who had participated in the previous workshops.

CGS President Zillur Rahman moderated the event.

Zillur Rahman said that the most important aspect of the programme was that women from different political parties and ideological backgrounds had worked together. Genuine inclusion requires not only participation but also effective power for women in decision-making and resource allocation.

Dr. Felix Gredes, Resident Representative of FES Bangladesh, said that FES subscribes to the values of liberty and justice. Women’s political participation is part of justice, and they must be given opportunities to take part in decision-making. He said women need greater opportunities, recognition, and support. Women’s participation is not only a matter of rights; meaningful engagement in all spheres of society and the state must also be ensured.

Barrister Nasreen Sultana Mily, Secretary for International Affairs of the AB Party, said that women’s leadership is an important measure of how far society has progressed. Political parties must create meaningful opportunities for women. Leadership should not be measured only in numbers; it must also be qualitative and meaningful. Ensuring the necessary opportunities and rights from the state is a legitimate entitlement of women.

CGS Executive Director Parvez Karim Abbasi said that the objective of the project was to strengthen women regardless of ideological differences.

He emphasized that women’s rights are not a matter of kindness or charity; they are an integral part of social justice, which has become increasingly important in the context of changing geopolitics, the economy, and society.

At the end of the dialogue, certificates were awarded to participants of the previous workshops.