International Women's Day will be observed on Tuesday across the country as elsewhere in the world with a call for building a sustainable world giving priority to gender equality.
Different women, social and political organizations have taken separate programs to observe the day.
On the eve of the day, President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have issued separate messages, greeting all women across the world.
They termed the day's theme 'Teksai Agameer Jonnya, Gender Samotai Aj Agraganna” (gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow) time befitting in the current perspective.
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In observance of the day, Samajik Protirodh Committee, a platform of 66 women, human rights and development organizations, will bring out a procession and hold a discussion and cultural programs at the Central Shaheed Minar at 3pm on Tuesday.
Dr Fawjia Moslem, president of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, will chair the program.
“Amee Pari”, an alliance for resisting family violence, will carry out a campaign on Tuesday afternoon.
Dhaka Reporters' Unity (DRU) will organize a colourful rally on its premises at 10am.
Christian Women will hold a discussion titled “Women's contribution to a sustainable future” at Brac Inn at 2pm on Wednesday.
Many other organizations, newspapers, TV channels and radio stations have also arranged programs to drum up support for the movement to end discrimination and violence against women and establish the rights of the women everywhere.
The International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8 every year. It is a focal point in the movement for women's rights.
After the Socialist Party of America organized a Women's Day on February 28, 1909, in New York, the 1910 International Socialist Women's Conference suggested a Women's Day be held annually.
After women gained suffrage in Soviet Russia in 1917, it was declared a national holiday there.
The day was then predominantly celebrated by the socialist movement and communist countries until it was adopted in 1975 by the United Nations.
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In his message, President Hamid said the achievement in empowering women over the last 50 years has introduced Bangladesh as a role model in the world.
He also said the present government has been implementing massive programs to prevent all kinds of violence on women, along with establishing women's rights, spreading education for them and empowering them to establish gender parity.
The womenfolk are keeping their footprints in all sectors, including politics, trade and business and job, without any restriction now, he added.
The US-based NGO Global Summit of Women honoured Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina with the Global Women's Leadership Award in 2018 for her leadership in advancing women's education and women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh, Asia and the Asia-pacific region, the head of the state said.
He mentioned that the premier also received a special memento titled "Tree of Peace" from Unesco in recognition of her contribution to the promotion of women's education.
"I hope that women-men would work together to make development sustainable in all sectors for building a happy-prosperous Bangladesh," Hamid said.
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In her message, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the Awami League government has been working to ensure equal participation of women and men in all its programs with a view to building a “Sonar Bangla” as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu.
She said one of the major achievements of Bangladesh in the last 50 years is to make significant progress in empowering women by reducing gender inequality.
To maintain this trend, the government has attached priority to ensuring food, health and education for women from the grassroots level to make the development sustainable, Hasina added.
The prime minister further said the women are now playing a vital role in different areas, including politics, judiciary, administration, education, health, armed forces and law enforcing agencies due to the time befitting and pragmatic measures of the government.
She also said Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman formed the Women's Rehabilitation Board in 1972 with the aim of rehabilitating and empowering women who had suffered in the great war of independence.
“Bangabandhu ensured the equality of women in all spheres of national life in the constitution.”
She hoped that with the joint efforts of women and men Bangladesh achieved the independence of the country, implementation of Vision-2041 would help build a hungry-poverty free prosperous Bangladesh as dreamt by Bangabandhu.