PM to get Women's Leadership Award

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. File photo

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be honoured with the Global Women's Leadership Award for her outstanding leadership in advancing women education and women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh, Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.

The award, a lifetime honour, will be conferred on Hasina by US-based NGO Global Summit of Women during the “2018 Global Summit of Women” to be held on April 26-28 in Sydney, Australia.

“It's a lifetime recognition,” said Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, adding that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe got the award last year. 

Besides, former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, former Unesco director general Irina Bokova, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata, former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, former Ireland president Mary Therese Winifred Robinson and other high profile global personalities were among the recipients of this prestigious award.

The Global Summit of Women, a Washington-based premier business and economic forum for women globally since 1990, has been connecting women worldwide for over 27 years. It is a business summit, whose “business” focus is women's advancement in the global economy.

Addressing a press briefing at the foreign ministry yesterday, the foreign minister said the visit of Bangladesh prime minister was taking place at the invitation of her Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull. He hoped that the visit would add a new dimension to the relations between the two countries.

Officials at the Prime Minister's Office said the PM would leave Dhaka for Sydney tomorrow by a Thai Airways flight and she would be accompanied by foreign minister, women and children affairs minister and other high civil and military officials. She would return home on Monday.

Ali said the prime minister would receive the award on Friday in presence of leaders representing governments, private sector and the business community.

“This recognition and prestigious honour to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will establish the pioneer role of Bangladesh in women development and empowerment in the world and also greatly help in strengthening the image of Bangladesh in the international arena,” he said.

He said Hasina in her speech at the award ceremony would highlight women empowerment, equal rights, bringing women in the mainstream of development, steps taken by the government and achievements made so far.

During the summit, Hasina will hold a bilateral meeting with her Australian counterpart on Saturday at the Commonwealth House in Sydney when they will discuss issues in the areas of education, sports, human resources development, trade and investment, power and energy, agriculture, security and ICT.

Official sources said the Rohingya crisis might come up for discussion prominently.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam, Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque, Secretary (Bilateral & Consular) Kamrul Ahsan and Secretary (Bilateral-Asian & Pacific) Mahbub Uz Zaman and other high officials were present at the briefing.