Bangladesh Approves Gender and Skills Action Plan to Boost Women’s Jobs

The initiative is being technically supported by the International Labour Organization (ILO) through the ProGRESS Project, with funding from Global Affairs Canada.

Bangladesh has taken a significant step toward advancing gender equality in skills development and employment with the approval of the Gender and Skills Action Plan 2025–2027, endorsed at the second meeting of the National Steering Committee (NSC) of the Gender and Skills Taskforce (GST).

The high-level meeting was chaired by Professor Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar, Adviser to the Ministry of Education, and brought together senior representatives from 23 ministries and departments, employers’ organisations and development partners. The initiative is being technically supported by the International Labour Organization (ILO) through the ProGRESS Project, with funding from Global Affairs Canada.

A coordinated push for women’s economic empowerment

Opening the meeting, Professor Abrar stressed the importance of keeping the Gender and Skills Taskforce active as a national coordination platform to expand girls’ participation in education and strengthen women’s access to decent work.

“Transforming technical and vocational education and training systems is essential to addressing the structural and gender-specific barriers that limit women’s economic opportunities,” he said.

The GST is positioned as a flagship inter-ministerial mechanism under the Technical and Madrasah Education Division (TMED), providing strategic direction to make TVET institutions, skills systems and workplaces more gender-responsive and inclusive.

Progress since the Taskforce launch

Officials reviewed progress since the first NSC meeting, including:

• Formal establishment of the GST through a Government Order issued in November 2024

• Development of the Gender and Skills Action Plan, led by TMED

• Review of the National Skills Development Policy 2022 by the National Skills Development Authority

• Drafting of Gender-Responsive and Green TVET guidelines by the Bangladesh Technical Education Board

• Preparation of Gender Equality Guidelines for Employers

• Development of awareness materials addressing gender-based violence

ILO Bangladesh reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the Taskforce, highlighting the importance of stronger coordination between government, employers, workers and development partners.

Action Plan 2025–2027: six pillars, clear targets

The newly approved Action Plan is structured around six strategic pillars and 33 indicators, focusing on improving policy coherence, institutional capacity and labour market outcomes for women.

Participants identified key barriers to women’s economic empowerment, including unsafe and discriminatory workplaces, limited access to technical occupations, skills mismatches and gaps in labour market data. Speakers also highlighted evidence showing that women can succeed in non-traditional sectors, such as construction and technical trades, when given appropriate training and support.

The NSC unanimously approved the Action Plan, marking a major milestone in Bangladesh’s efforts to align skills development with inclusive growth.

ILO: skills reform critical to decent jobs for women

ILO Bangladesh Country Director Max Tunon welcomed the approval, noting that while Bangladesh has achieved strong economic growth, job creation has lagged, with women disproportionately affected.

He praised the Action Plan’s focus on implementing existing policies and highlighted Bangladesh’s ratification of key ILO conventions on gender equality and equal pay. The ILO plans to deepen its engagement in skills development and job creation initiatives from 2026 onwards.

The meeting concluded with a call for stronger employer engagement, practical implementation and sustained coordination to ensure skills development leads to decent jobs for women and supports inclusive economic growth.