Donors assistance needed to build sustainable governance system

FE Team | Published: July 27, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

A work on a donor-aided project in the city underscored the need for an effective and accountable local government for ensuring sustainable governance system and inclusive growth in Bangladesh, now that the country is passing through sweeping changes.
Adviser for Local Government, Rural Development (LGRD) and Cooperatives Anwarul Iqbal said this at the workshop on 'Strengthening Local Governance in Bangladesh' jointly organised by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and World Bank (WB) at a city hotel Thursday, reports UNB.
Chaired by WB Operations Adviser Mohammad Alhousseyni Toure, speakers at the function included, among others, Swiss Ambassador in Bangladesh Dora Rapold, WB Sector Director (Sustainable Development Department) Constance Bernard and Local Government Division Secretary Safar Raj Hossain.
BRAC (Bdmail Network) Chairman Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury presented the keynote paper on strengthening local governance at the workshop.
The $3.0 million, multi-year, non-lending facility from the SDC will provide knowledge services and technical support to the government's current efforts to strengthen local governance programme, supported by the WB.
The SDC-assisted programme will be executed by the WB, 'in close consultation' with government, civil society and other development partners.
Bernard assured the WB's continued support for building a system of democratic governance in Bangladesh.
Rapold said the SDC's support would "draw on international best practices in local governance reforms to provide important value-added knowledge services to the government".
SDC support will be used to broaden decentralisation policy dialogue, help institutionalise the local governance fiscal framework, promote demand-led approaches for strengthening local government capabilities, and strengthen citizen capacity for holding local government accountable and mainstream lessons of decentralisation into the policy-development process.