EMBASSY DHAKA OBSERVES INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

UNCLAS DHAKA 000428 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM BG KWMN SUBJECT: EMBASSY DHAKA OBSERVES INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY REF: STATE 019118 ¶1. Summary: In commemoration of International Women's Day, Embassy Dhaka released an Op-Ed by the Chief of Mission, held a Gender and Development Fair, and will co-host a "Women Working Together" program with six other missions. End Summary. ¶2. Embassy drafted an Op-Ed in the Ambassador's name for International Women's Day based on the building blocks distributed in reftel. This editorial was carried in eight Bengali language newspapers and one local English language daily with a combined circulation of over one million readers. ¶3. Also on March 8, State and USAID co-hosted a Gender and Development Fair in the Chancery for Embassy employees. The CDA and the USAID Director made opening remarks. A local performance group, Rupantar, performed a traditional song and dance with a modern theme: family life and the consequences of domestic violence. USAID partners working on Gender and Development projects, including projects on education, agriculture, health, and social issues, manned booths with information on their projects. A Bengali film about domestic violence, "Kranti," was shown and followed by an interactive panel discussion on "Ending Impunity for Violence Against Women." ¶4. On March 21, Embassy will co-host a "Women Working Together" program with the Asia Development Bank, UNDP, and the diplomatic missions of Canada, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland, all of which have women heads of mission. Over 250 women are expected to attend. Attendees will come from a cross-section of society including garment factory workers, Bangladesh government employees, and NGO workers as well as representatives from local diplomatic missions. ¶5. Women journalists will be invited to cover the event. The program will include an exhibition of art from women artists, entertainment, and booths displaying projects that support women and girls. A USAID booth will offer information on the related NGO projects it supports in Bangladesh. PASI