Brussels, 01/02/2002 (Agence Europe) - The Memorandum of Understanding aimed at the creation of an Asian University for Women in Dacca (Bangladesh) was signed on Wednesday 30 January at the seat of the European Parliament in Brussels by Lone Dybkjaer (Danish MEP and member of the Liberal Group), together with Bangladesh Minister for Education, Osmar Faruk. Also present were EP President Pat Cox, Chair of the Committee on Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities Anna Karamanou (PES, Greece), and Permanent Representative for Bangladesh to the EU Mr Muhammad Zamir. The university is expected to open in September 2005 and to take on some 2,000 students from the whole of Asia (and more particularly from Afghanistan, Cambodia and Laos, etc.). Sandro Cerrato, responsible for the Bangladesh issue at the European Commission, pointed out that the EU would be one of the main contributors.
Lone Dybkjaer raised the question of why Bangladesh should be chosen and why the university should be just for women. She noted that it is a region with a high population density, suffering from no ethnic conflicts. Regarding the choice of a university only for women, she spoke of her hope it would become a "true centre of excellence" that will serve as a model for the whole of Asia. Pat Cox, who cited Mary Robinson, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights who was behind the initiative for the creation of this university, said that access by Asian women to higher education will allow them to play an active part in eliminating sex discrimination. He noted that it is very important, especially after the events of 11 September, to give women a real opportunity. Ambassador Muhammad Zamir stressed the importance of education for women, especially in the context of nutritional policies and family planning.