Save the Children, in collaboration with various stakeholders, celebrated International Women’s Day 2025, organizing the Empowering Women for a brighter future.
The celebration highlighted the importance of gender equality and the need for localized strategies to empower women, particularly those from marginalized communities.
It brought together government officials, development partners, private sector representatives, NGOs, and women-led organizations to honor women's achievements and discuss strategies for their empowerment.
The event included a flash mob articulating the collective effort to achieve gender equality by the Shobujer Ovijan Foundation, keynote presentations and discussions, and an award ceremony for the “Shaping Tomorrow: Women’s Empowerment Innovation Challenge”, recognizing outstanding contributions to women’s empowerment.
Speeches were given by the guest of honor - Andre Carstens, charge d’Affaires, Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands in Bangladesh; and chief guest - Keya Khan, director general of the Department of Women Affairs, Bangladesh.
The event also featured the award-giving ceremony for the “Shaping Tomorrow: Women’s Empowerment Innovation Challenge”, recognizing 11 organizations and their outstanding contributions to women’s empowerment.
Andre Carstens stated: “It's about fifty years since the UN adopted IWD, but back then, the day was already more than sixty years old. Similar movements for women's equality started more than a century ago. 2025 is pivotal as it marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. This document is the most progressive and widely endorsed blueprint for women’s and girls’ rights worldwide.
It transformed the agenda in terms of legal protection, access to services, youth engagement, and changes in social norms, stereotypes, and ideas stuck in the past. This year’s theme: Rights. Equality. Empowerment calls for action that can unlock equal rights and opportunities for all. A future where no one is left behind. Central to this vision is empowering the next generation - particularly young women and adolescent girls - as catalysts for lasting change.”
Keya Khan stated: “We are working very hard for women’s empowerment. Many government posts are working with development partners for their economic empowerment. Society blocks them when they try to access these services. We work in 10 districts, but that is not enough. We have child marriages committees at every grassroots level, and we influence religious leaders to make them aware of these consequences. We need to mobilize these committees and build their capacities.
We see that it’s a protection issue that compels many parents to child marriages. We need societal change that puts their protection first. Cybercrimes bring these crimes home and leave children and young girls susceptible to cyber-attacks. Girls now have access to content they are too young to understand. We need to have laws that specifically address the security of women and girls and ensure they are protected in these spaces.”
