WOMEN KEY TO FOOD SECURITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 001077 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR S/GWI, SCA/INSB DEPT PLEASE PASS USAID NEW DELHI FOR FAS HHIGGINS AND DLEISHMAN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KWMN EAID PREL EAGR ECON SENV BG SUBJECT: WOMEN KEY TO FOOD SECURITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN BANGLADESH Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) The recent visit to Bangladesh by Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues Melanne Verveer underscored U.S.-Bangladesh convergence on a number of issues, including food security and climate change, and highlighted the role women should play in these efforts. Ambassador Verveer called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, both of whom welcomed the prospect of collaboration on issues of importance to women, including food, health, education and climate change. Ambassador Verveer and Bangladesh's two most senior women agreed that women played a pivotal role in development. PM welcomes USG initiatives -------------- ¶2. (U) Ambassador Verveer, in a call on the Prime Minister with Ambassador Moriarty November 11, highlighted the United States' commitment to progress on food security and climate change, including the role women could play at the grassroots level in tackling these problems. She also highlighted the positive developments in Bangladesh since her last trip to the country in 1995, including the overwhelming number of women working in the garment industry and the high turnout of voters in the recent elections, especially amongst women. The Prime Minister praised Secretary Clinton's decision to host a meeting on food security on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in September and noted the overwhelming response to the event by developing nations. ¶3. (SBU) The Prime Minister agreed with Ambassador Verveer that involving women in food security programs would increase their chances for success. The PM described a project initiated during her previous government in 1996-2001 called "one house, one farm," which helped women establish gardens, small livestock operations or orchards using existing space in their households. The program intended to help women supplement their incomes or subsistence levels. The PM said the pilot program was well-received though challenges existed for women in getting their products to market; the GOB established some co-operatives to assist with market access. Hasina said she had a plan for re-establishing this program on a larger scale included in this year's budget. Ambassador Verveer noted that the USG's new food security initiative aimed at tackling similar challenges. Health and education also a priority -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The Prime Minister told Ambassadors Verveer and Moriarty that, in addition to food, health and education were keys to women's survival and empowerment in Bangladesh. In terms of health, the PM said the GOB was committed to improving its community health clinics, particularly with services for women. The goal was to have two health centers for every 6,000 people. Improving health would reduce maternal mortality, which was a significant issue in Bangladesh. On education, the Prime Minister said she would like to see free education extended through secondary school and greater options for post-secondary education, particularly vocational schools. ¶5. (SBU) Ambassador Verveer praised Bangladesh for achieving the Millennium Development Goal of parity in girls' enrollment in primary and secondary school. She asked for the Prime Minister's views on how to keep both boys and girls in school longer in Bangladesh, since the drop-out rate was so high. The Prime Minister replied that one solution was school feeding programs. She said her daughter was a child psychologist who had worked in the United States and was struck by the impact U.S. school feeding programs had on ensuring children stayed in school. She asked for U.S. assistance in this area. Ambassador Moriarty noted the U.S. Department of Agriculture already sponsored some school feeding programs in Bangladesh, particularly for schools in southern Bangladesh where families lost livelihoods during the 2007 Cyclone Sidr disaster. Everyone agreed on the need to work together to consider the quality of food in Bangladesh, since malnutrition was a big challenge in Bangladesh. Support for women in peace-keeping -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Prime Minister Hasina noted another area in which DHAKA 00001077 002 OF 002 Bangladeshi women could contribute, UN peace-keeping. She said the United Nations and recipient nations had noted the success women involved in peace-keeping operations (PKO) had with local populations. As a result, there was interest in more Bangladeshi women included in the nation's large contributions to United Nations PKO. The Prime Minister has tasked Bangladesh's Home Ministry with identifying women in the police and Army to participate in UN operations. Women in politics -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Prime Minister Hasina praised the Women's Development Policy, which was a comprehensive plan her government was trying to push forward and includes women's economic empowerment, health, education, and political participation. She noted that there were women in local government thanks to the women's quota and that during her previous tenure she ensured the appointment of women judges to the High Court. The Prime Minister highlighted the fact that 45,000 women contested in local elections for only 12,000 positions. Ambassador Moriarty noted that USAID was launching a program to help build the capacity of women leaders. PM and FM focused on climate change -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Both the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dipu Moni discussed global climate change in their meetings with Ambassador Verveer. The Foreign Minister had recently returned from the Maldives, where countries most vulnerable to climate change had met to prepare for the upcoming summit in Copenhagen. The Foreign Minister said Bangladesh was committed to doing its part on climate change mitigation, even as a poor nation suffering the effects of climate change. The Foreign Minister and Ambassador Verveer agreed that while women were among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, they also provided great potential for addressing climate change through household solutions. Ambassador Verveer said small changes at the household level were as important as the big solutions needed to battle emissions, etc. Comment -------------- ¶9. (SBU) U.S. initiatives on food security, global climate change and health, and their inclusion of a role for women in each, are almost tailor-made for Bangladesh. Bangladeshis, particularly Bangladeshi women, face food, health and environment dilemmas on a daily basis. The GOB's top leaders seem to understand this and warmly welcomed projected U.S.-Bangladesh partnership in these areas. Ambassador Verveer's timely visit helped kick off our efforts here; we are off to an excellent start. ¶10. (U) S/GWI cleared this cable. DEAN