Call for increasing women’s participation in addressing climate risk



News Desk, Barta24.com, Dhaka
ছবি: সংগৃহীত

ছবি: সংগৃহীত

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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that women as the main victims of climate change are demanding greater participation in tackling these risks and more bold steps are needed to empower them, especially in developing resilience.

She said it is important to create a position for women in the decision-making process to address their vulnerabilities due to climate change.

Sheikh Hasina made the remarks at a high-level panel discussion titled 'Women's Climate Leadership Event - COP 26: Women and Climate Change' in Glasgow on Tuesday (November 2).

The Prime Minister called upon the women leaders to take bold and specific steps at the COP-26 conference for global solidarity to build a tolerant community in the face of the adverse effects of climate change where both women and men can participate equally.

Sheikh Hasina said the world's most vulnerable and marginalized people are most affected by the adverse effects of climate change due to a number of socio-economic and cultural factors. Most of them are women and girls.

She said structural inequalities in human society; inherent social norms are having an unbalanced impact of climate change on women.

Noting that women generally do not have equal access to wealth around the world, Sheikh Hasina said that in many societies they do not have the power to make decisions and they are often engaged in low paid and unpaid jobs and activities.

She said that for all these reasons, women are more affected by climate change than men. Noting the importance of acknowledging the extreme vulnerability of women in the response to climate change, the Prime Minister said her government is committed to ensuring women's participation in all areas of sustainable development in tackling the effects of climate change.

Later in the panel Q&A session, she said it was important to ensure women's participation in the decision-making process to address the risks of climate change.

Sheikh Hasina further said that Bangladesh has already ensured women leadership in the decision making process from the parliamentary level to the grassroots level.

She said the Bangladesh National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA) has extensively included women as part of adaptation solutions. Our government has developed the National Climate Change and Gender Action Plan to ensure gender equality in policies, strategies and measures related to climate change.

Most importantly, she said, our government has introduced Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB), allocating about 30 per cent for women in mainstream women's development in all policy and decision-making processes.

Referring to the scientific fact that women are more tolerant than men, Sheikh Hasina said that in difficult situations of natural calamities, women are the first to take care of their families.

She said her government has ensured equal participation at the grassroots level, from policy-making to climate change disasters. "There are 76,000 volunteers involved in the Climate Disaster Preparedness Program, 50 percent of whom are women," she said, adding that our disaster preparedness program has succeeded in reducing the number of deaths due to disasters.

The Prime Minister said women should be included in the role of driver in every initiative from planning to resource allocation and implementation.

She said funding for gender sensitive adaptation and mitigation measures would be key issues in this regard.

On the issue of climate change, Sheikh Hasina called for "raising the voices of women around the world to ensure equal access to money to meet the needs and priorities of women".

Sheikh Hasina said, "We are going to implement 'Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan' in the name of Father of our Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman." The plan will bring women from climate risk to tolerance and from tolerance to climate prosperity into the mainstream.

Government to provide treatment & income to all injured: Prime Minister



Staff Correspondent, Barta24.com
Photo: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

Photo: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that the government will provide treatment and income to all those injured in the recent violence, regardless of party affiliation.

She said this while visiting the injured at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Friday (July 26). Meanwhile, she inquired about the physical condition of the injured.

Sheikh Hasina said that the government will do whatever is necessary for the treatment of those injured in the violence. The government will take responsibility for the treatment of the injured, whichever party they belong to.

She also said, even after accepting all the demands on the quota, why is the movement not ending? Everyone at home and abroad should be vocal against the violence and brutality of BNP-Jamaat.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister visited several wards of Dhaka Medical College Hospital and inquired about the injured. She talked to doctors and nurses. She ordered to give all kinds of treatment to the injured.

Earlier in the morning, the head of government visited the Bangladesh Television (BTV) building damaged by vandals' attack and fire at Rampura in the capital.

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BRUR administration provided financial assistance to the family of Abu Sayed



Staff Correspondent, Barta24.com, Rangpur
BRUR administration provided financial assistance to the family of Abu Sayed

BRUR administration provided financial assistance to the family of Abu Sayed

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The university administration has provided financial assistance to the family of Abu Sayed, a 12th batch student of the English department of Begum Rokeya University of Rangpur(BRUR), who was killed in the quota reform movement.

On Friday (July 26) at 10:30 a.m., a check of Tk. seven and a half lakh was handed over to the family of the deceased Abu Sayed.

At that time, Maqbul Hossain, the old father of the deceased Abu Sayed, said that at that time the VC sir spoke to me on the mobile phone. He asked about our welfare. He promised to be by our side. I told sir that one of our family should be given a job in the University. VC sir assured.

Maqbul Hossain also said, the piece of my liver was Abu Sayed. My family was running on the money saved from his private tuition. I have lost a child; there is no consolation for this grief.

University Proctor Shariful Islam, General Secretary of Teachers' Association Asaduzzaman Mandal Asad and President of Officials' Association Ferozul Islam were present while providing financial assistance on behalf of the University administration.

Proctor Shariful Islam said, the University administration is always in touch with the parents of Abu Sayed on the instructions of the VC. VC sir himself is looking for Sayed's family, he has promised to stand by the family. As a part of this, financial assistance of Tk. seven and a half lakh has been provided today. He said that this cooperation will continue.

Incidentally, on last Tuesday (July 16) there was a clash between the police and the Chhatra League at the park junction adjacent to Begum Rokeya University with the protesting students demanding quota reform. In this, Abu Sayed, who was in the front of the procession, died by gunshot. After this incident, the movement gained momentum throughout the country. Abu Sayed was one of the coordinators of Begum Rokeya University quota reform movement.

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To whom I will say life-life!



Kabir Ahmed, Assistant Editor, Barta24.com, Dhaka
To whom I will say life-life

To whom I will say life-life

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Poet Helal Hafiz has written a poem titled 'Je Jale Agun Jaley'. The name of the poem written in black in this book of his poetry is 'Vulgar Civilization'. A two-word title poem, and a complete poem of only two lines; 'Neutron bombs understand / Humans don't understand!' What a powerful source of two lines. What a source of great power is the title of the poem. The civilization that despises people and people's lives can't be obscene!

The poem is from the eighties, yet relevant all the time. In many ways the two lines come into discussion. More so, when trying to distinguish between the living and the inanimate comes to the fore. When there is an attempt to make other things important by keeping people secondary. The poem has stirred again during this quota movement. Those who enter the field to demand realization of demands, their demands may be reasonable, may be unreasonable, whether their demands are accepted or not may be a matter of policy-making level; But the application of force? No, of course not! The matter is inhumane, obscene!

While the first phase of the 2018 quota movement was isolated fights, the second phase of the 2024 quota movement was violence. In this violence, the movement was hijacked by the infiltration of dark assailants, vandalism took place, huge damage was done to state assets, people were endangered, normal civil life was interrupted, the state was in crisis of existence, the government was in disarray, anarchy was created in the country, people's lives were not safe; all true there is no denying it. Who is responsible, who is responsible, why is responsible, how is the discussion going on here? Attempts to start a discussion are also not noticeable. Before this, under the grip of the division, efforts are being made to achieve their own ambitions, especially political benefits.

There are no statistics on how many lives have been lost in this movement and post-movement violence. The government has informed how many policemen have been attacked, how many policemen have been injured. The judicial inquiry committee that the government has made, the committee will investigate only 6 deaths on the first day of violence, make comments, give various recommendations. The countless deaths beyond that will not be discussed much. I do not see the possibility of a trial, because usually those responsible for such deaths get informal impunity. It is feared that this time will not be an exception. But there is no doubt that mud will be thrown even if there is no trial.

Police is the law enforcement force. They have accurate calculations. The concerned authorities will keep an account of how many people have been affected by the violence, and how many of them have been injured by participating in the violence. There will be compensation for their families. They have the authority to take responsibility. But others...? As they have no account, there is no one to take responsibility. As a result, there will be no compensation for them, not even the slightest sympathy from any authority. Rather, each death will increase the suffering of the family members. Many families will have to bear various burdens due to the division.

Any death is unwanted. Some of the people who lost their lives in this huge violence were part of the violence; some were under its control. We had the opportunity to look at the matter as a human death rather than finding responsibility, but is that opportunity being taken at all? Here, who is anti-government, and who is pro-government - the dividing line drawn here is ultimately a replica of 'vulgar civilization'. What a horrible picture of people not understanding.

To prevent violence, the government has imposed a curfew in the country to bring the situation under control. It is claimed that efforts are being made to preserve greater rights by curtailing civil rights. The country is tolerating the issue of neglecting civil rights thinking that the light of day is coming at the end of darkness.

The lives lost in the post-movement violence will never return. We can convey to the state the demand for ensuring good treatment for those who are injured. But the treatment is also in the face of uncertainty. According to media reports, many are leaving the hospital before the end of treatment due to fear of arrest. Now that the government is on the case, many are likely to be arrested. Many of the injured are part of the violence, while others are simply injured by the accident — with doubts about whether they will even be able to complete treatment. In such a situation, the police's opportunistic circle also becomes active. Here is a lot of business!

The quota movement was not under the control of the students until the end. The country was not even under government control at the end. Law enforcement forces beat as well as beat. Curfew is being implemented in the country along with the regular forces to bring the situation under control. Lathi-charges-bullets-fires-gas-pepper sprays were all there. People were in danger. Now there are reports of deaths of people who were not part of this conflict, who were shot on roofs, streets, balconies, and died. Even though there is no accurate data on the number, nor is the government interested, it is not possible to deny these deaths.

The death of at least two hundred people is being reported through different media. No one knows exactly what this number is. But we know institutionally, this violence has caused various damages to government facilities. Foreign Minister Mohammad Hasan Mahmood visited the ruins along with high-ranking diplomats of various countries and organizations. Various ministers including the Prime Minister are visiting different places. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was overwhelmed with emotion after visiting the metro rail station. Her cry has touched us too. She asked the countrymen to judge it.

The damage to brick-stone-technology and various media structures has caused huge financial loss to the state. Governments and heads of government are getting emotional showing the financial losses. Determine its financial value which is also going to be part of the political campaign. But the people, who died, the people who were killed, are little talked about. In the way the state is moving forward, the matter of equal value judgment is a priority. As we are not part of the government, we are interested in seeing government facilities and assets as intangibles, assuming that even if it is an undesirable event, it is fulfilling. But the waste of life, I know because it will not be fulfilled.

The government as an institution is busy in determining the financial value from an institutional point of view, but we as human beings, even if the financial loss hurts us, we give priority to the value of human life as a human aspect, and I think this is a matter of discussion. If there is money, there will be metro rail, public and private facilities will be renovated, built, hundreds of thousands of cars can be bought; but even if there is money, not even a drop of blood can be made for people; And to return life, it is impossible!

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Prime Minister visited the destruction of BTV building



Staff Correspondent, Barta24.com
Prime Minister visited the destruction of BTV building

Prime Minister visited the destruction of BTV building

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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited the office of Bangladesh Television (BTV), which was affected by the violence surrounding the quota reform movement.

He visited the damaged BTV building on Friday (July 26) morning.

Miscreants set fire to the BTV center in Rampura of the capital during the quota reform movement on Thursday, July 18 at around 2 pm. The fire gutted the reception, canteen and a bus inside the TV centre.

Director General (DG) of BTV Dr. Jahangir Alam said miscreants set fire to BTV center, burnt many things including cameras. A lot of equipment was also looted. They burned 17 of our cars, vandalized 9 cars and burnt two broadcasting vans. The fire also caused a lot of damage to the building.

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