Bangladesh signs Brighton Plus Helsinki Declaration for women in sport

Bangladesh formally joined the Brighton Plus Helsinki Declaration on Wednesday, committing the country to global standards on equality, safety and participation for women in sports.
Originally created in Brighton in 1994 and updated in Helsinki in 2014, the Brighton Plus Helsinki Declaration is the world’s leading framework for advancing women and girls in sport and physical activity, developed and maintained by the International Working Group (IWG) on Women and Sport. Signatories commit to upholding a set of principles that enable women and girls to freely and safely participate, compete and build careers in sport. Nearly 700 organisations worldwide have signed on to date.
The signing ceremony took place at a hotel in the capital, where Barrister Sarwat Siraj Shukla, President of the Bangladesh Women’s Sports Association, put pen to paper on behalf of the country. Lisa O’Keefe MBE, Secretary General of IWG Women & Sport, took part virtually from the United Kingdom.
Shukla called the moment a milestone in bringing women’s sports in Bangladesh up to international benchmarks, saying the declaration would guide efforts to build a safer, more inclusive and more professional environment for female athletes. She added that the current government has taken a supportive approach toward sports, pointing to the recent creation of a Sports Diplomacy Wing and a Women’s Protection Committee — both firsts in the country’s history.
Speaking from the UK, O’Keefe described Bangladesh’s move as a major step forward for women’s sports in the country and welcomed its entry into the international network working to expand opportunities for female athletes worldwide. She said she hoped other sports federations in Bangladesh would follow suit and sign the charter as well.
The ceremony drew a range of dignitaries, including British High Commission Political Counsellor Rosie Combie, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sports Diplomacy official BM Jamal Hossain, Women’s Protection Committee chief Jobera Rahman Linu, and senior figures from the Bangladesh Olympic Association, the Bangladesh Sports Education Institute (BKSP), and multiple national sports federations.