Shama calls for stronger UNOPS partnership to advance women's empowerment

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam has called on the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) to deepen its cooperation with Bangladesh, particularly through initiatives that empower women and girls and enhance their meaningful participation in sustainable and inclusive development.

She made the remarks during a courtesy meeting with UNOPS Country Manager Sudhir Muralidharan at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka on Monday, according to a Foreign Ministry press release issued on Tuesday.

During the meeting, the state minister commended the longstanding partnership between Bangladesh and the United Nations and reaffirmed the government's strong commitment to multilateralism and international collaboration in advancing sustainable development for people, the planet and shared prosperity.

Outlining the government's development agenda, Shama Obaed highlighted women's empowerment, girls' education and the promotion of women's leadership across all sectors as key priorities.

She also stressed the importance of accelerating progress towards achieving gender equality under Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, urging UNOPS to expand its engagement in programmes that create greater opportunities for women and girls and encourage their active role in sustainable and inclusive development.

Muralidharan briefed the state minister on UNOPS' global and country-level priorities, its ongoing projects and future plans in Bangladesh.

He reaffirmed the agency's commitment to supporting Bangladesh in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through sustained partnership, technical expertise and effective project implementation.