Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, Distinguished Fellow, CPD has committed support for the UN Women’s global campaign ‘HeForShe,’ which was launched in Bangladesh to generate male support to achieve gender equality.
Dr Bhattacharya, also Chair of Southern Voice for Post-MDGs, was one of the nine eminent male leaders who pledged their support on Monday, 9 March 2015 at the launch of the campaign supported by the Embassy of Sweden at the capital’s Sonargaon hotel.
“We say that behind every successful man stands a great mother or wife but can we say with equal confidence that behind every successful woman is a great father or husband?” inquired Dr Bhattacharya, emphasising the ways in which women should be inspired by their fathers, brothers, husbands, male colleagues and male citizens at large.
He underscored that the HeforShe campaign aspires to change the conflicts and challenges encountered by women in their lives to achieve gender equality. Being challenged to name three more persons in favour of this initiative, Dr Bhattacharya named CPD Chairman Professor Rehman Sobhan, Executive Director Professor Mustafizur Rahman and Additional Director Dr Khondaker Golam Moazzem. In addition, he said that male colleagues at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) expressed their full institutional support towards this cause.
The other leaders in favour of the campaign were Swedish Ambassador to Bangladesh Johan Frisell, President of Inter-Parliamentarian Union Saber Hossain Chowdhury, UN Resident Coordinator Robert D Watkins, Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association Vice President Shahidullah Azim, film director Khalid Mahmood Mithu, professional golfer Siddiqur Rahman and Jaago Foundation founder Korvi Rakshand.
Urging men to sign up for the cause, Ms Christine Hunter, UN Women Representative in Bangladesh, said, “By committing to purposeful action and standing in solidarity with women, men can help put gender equality at the centre of development and growth.”
The HeForShe campaign is a solidarity movement of UN Women that calls men and boys to stand up against the persisting inequalities faced by women and girls globally.
It was launched in New York at the United Nations headquarter by secretary general Ban Ki-moon, UN Women executive director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and acclaimed actor and UN Women Goodwill ambassador Emma Watson.
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