Staff Correspondent

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said that following her government’s steps to offset the impacts of climate change, the vulnerability of the poor and marginalized community has declined.

“Various measures have been taken by the government to offset the impacts of climate change, which also pulled down the vulnerability of the poor and the marginalized community,” she said when Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Under-Secretary General Dr Natalia Kanem called on her.

Prime Minister’s Speechwriter Md Nazrul Islam briefed the reporters after the meeting held at InterContinental hotel here.

In case of natural disasters, the premier said, the rate of casualties has sharply reduced in Bangladesh.

During the meeting, different issues, including child and mother mortality rates, reproductive health, child marriage and girls education came up for discussion.

The UNFPA Executive Director said Bangladesh has made an excellent performance in reducing the child and maternal mortality rates.

She said the reproductive health of women is being affected due to adverse impacts of climate change.

Turning to women education, Sheikh Hasina said the girl students surpassed boys both in number and academic performance in the school examinations in Bangladesh.

“Girl students have surpassed the boys both in number and pass percentage in the recent school examinations (SSC examinations). And it has been possible for our girl-friendly policy,” she said, adding that many parents even were not willing to send their girls to schools in the past.

Coming in power in 1996, Sheikh Hasina said, her government framed policy to promote girls education in line with her experiences gathered after she returned home in 1981.

She focused on different steps including introduction of stipend programme for students and school feeding scheme.

Besides, now a larger number of girls are coming to schools as employment scopes for girls have widened, she noted.

Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud, State Minister for Health Rokeya Sultana, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, PMO Secretary Mohammad Salahuddin and Medical Education and Family Welfare Division Secretary Azizur Rahman were present.