DHAKA (ILO news)- Bangladesh has taken a major step toward strengthening gender equality in skills development with the approval of the Gender and Skills Action Plan 2025-2027, endorsed at the 2nd meeting of the National Steering Committee (NSC) of the Gender and Skills Taskforce (GST).

The meeting was chaired by the Honourable Adviser to the Ministry of Education, Professor Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar (PhD), and brought together senior representatives from 23 key ministries and departments, employers' organizations and development partners, with technical support from the International Labour Organization (ILO) through the ProGRESS Project with the funding support from Global Affairs Canada.

Strengthening coordination for gender-responsive skills systems

Opening the meeting, Professor Abrar welcomed the participants and emphasized the importance of keeping the Gender and Skills Taskforce active as a high-level coordination mechanism to ensure girls' participation in education and advance women's economic empowerment. He stressed that transforming technical and vocational education and training (TVET) systems is essential to addressing structural and gender-specific barriers that limit women's access to decent work.

Dr. Nazneen Kawshar Chowdhury, Executive Chairperson, National Skills Development Authority speaks at the meeting.

The Secretary of the Technical and Madrasah Education Division (TMED), Mr Muhammad Rafiqul Islam, outlined the meeting agenda and invited Mr Shamshur Rahman Khan, Additional Secretary (Development), TMED, to present on the vision and institutional framework of the Gender and Skills Taskforce.

Mr Khan described the GST as one of TMED's flagship initiatives under the ProGRESS Project. He highlighted its role as a high-level inter-ministerial body providing strategic guidance to promote women's economic empowerment by transforming TVET institutions, skills systems and workplaces into gender-responsive and gender-equal environments.

The presentation outlined the National Steering Committee (NSC) structure of the GST, chaired by the Adviser/Minister of Education and co-chaired by four Secretaries from TMED, the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MoWCA), the Ministry of Commerce, and the Executive Chairman of the National Skills Development Authority (NSDA). Two sub-committees - Programme and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) have been established to support effective implementation.

Reviewing progress since the first NSC meeting

Ms Masreka Khan, Senior Programme Officer, ILO, presented updates on decisions taken at the first NSC meeting. These included the issuance of a Government Order establishing the GST in November 2024, the updated composition of the Taskforce, and the convening of an inter-ministerial planning workshop led by TMED to develop the draft Action Plan.

Max Tunon, Country Director, ILO Bangladesh, reaffirmed ILO's commitment to providing technical support to the taskforce.

Members also reviewed progress across agencies, including:

• Development of the GST Action Plan led by TMED
• Review of the National Skills Development Policy (NSDP) 2022 and policy dialogue facilitated by NSDA
• Draft Technical Guidelines on Gender-Responsive and Green TVET developed by BTEB
• Gender Equality Guidelines for Employers prepared by BEF
• Awareness and sensitization materials on gender-based violence developed and disseminated by TMED

Mr Pedro Jr. Bellen, Chief Technical Adviser, ILO ProGRESS, underlined that the core objective of the GST is to improve coordination across government, employers, workers and development partners, ensuring that gender-related initiatives in skills and employment reinforce each other for greater impact.

Action Plan 2025-2027 approved

The meeting reviewed the Gender and Skills Action Plan 2025-2027, structured around six pillars and 33 indicators, and discussed sector-specific challenges and opportunities.

Participants highlighted major issues that impede women's economic empowerment, such as unsafe and discriminatory workplace environments, limited employment opportunities for women in technical fields, skills mismatches, and the need for better labour market data. Several speakers shared evidence that women can succeed in non-traditional sectors when given opportunities, citing strong employment outcomes for women graduates in construction and technical trades.

The NSC unanimously approved the Action Plan, marking a significant milestone in advancing gender equality in skills development and employment.

A lively and engaging discussion marked the meeting, with active participation from all members

ILO reaffirms support for women's access to decent work

From ILO Mr Max Tunon, Country Director of the ILO in Bangladesh, thanked the Government of Bangladesh for establishing the Gender and Skills Taskforce and reaffirmed ILO's continued support.

He noted that while Bangladesh has achieved strong economic growth, employment generation has lagged behind, with women disproportionately affected. Referring to data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, RAPID and the World Bank, he welcomed the GST as a timely and coordinated response to these challenges.

Mr Tunon commended the comprehensive Action Plan, particularly its focus on implementing existing policies, and acknowledged Bangladesh's ratification of key ILO conventions to advance gender equality, address the gender pay gap and expand women's access to skills and employment. He also highlighted ILO Bangladesh's intention to further strengthen engagement in skills development and job creation from 2026 onward.

The discussion ended with a call for stronger employers' engagement, policy coherence and practical implementation to ensure that skills development translates into decent jobs for women and contributes to inclusive economic growth.