From Sir Fazle's last 47th annual report (2018) as chairman of Bangladesh Rural Advancement Cooperation
For nearly half a century, our work at BRAC has
supported the building of a gender-equitable
world.
What would a gender-equitable world look like?
A world where cultures, embedded systems,
and values based on patriarchy are replaced by
cultures, systems, and values that empower and
create opportunities for all. A world where girls are
just as likely to gain education and skills as boys,
where women are just as likely as men to own
land, have control over assets and decisions, and
succeed in the workplace, and where men and
women share responsibilities at home equally.
Gender equity is a cross-cutting issue for all
of us - individuals, communities, corporate
organisations, non-governmental organisations,
and governments. We all need to push ahead
and find new ways to achieve this. Gender equity
plays a vital role in both social development and
domestic harmony and, as such, remains one of
our top commitments at BRAC. We will continue
to fight against anything that stands in the way
of women’s development, holds women back,
deprives them of their rights, and damages their
self-esteem or self-respect.
Only a few countries have come close to
achieving gender equality. By comparison, in the
11 countries where BRAC operates, the work
is just beginning. Despite making creditable
progress on some socioeconomic indicators,
we still lag behind in ensuring respect and fair
treatment for women. We must be steadfast in our
struggle to create an equitable society.
Although the challenges may be daunting, we
must not accept the world as it is today. Children
should not be forced to become brides, women
should not have to do more work for less pay,
and wives and mothers should not have to carry a
disproportionately high burden of responsibility at
home. We cannot sit idly by as the harassment of
women and girls continues unabated - at home,
in public spaces, and in the workplace. Rather,
we must continue to act on our conviction that
women are the real agents of positive change for
their families, communities, and for societies as a
whole.
BRAC continued to tackle many of these issues
head on in 2018. This report highlights some of
our work in these areas. As we move forward
towards the third decade of this century, we
must continue to prioritise action that will lead us
towards gender equality, and must do so with a
sense of impatience and urgency. We must strive
to create a world free of systemic prejudice, where
gender-based violence in all its forms is rooted out
for good. For we cannot and will not have peace,
justice, or shared prosperity
