Creating livelihoods for urban extreme poor emphasised

Law Minister Shafique Ahmed Tuesday said that a strong pro-poor urban policy is required to ensure the rights of the urban poor, reports UNB. He said this while addressing the inaugural session of a three-day advocacy and lesson learning workshop to build awareness and explore opportunities to create livelihoods for the urban poor in the city as chief guest. The Economic Empowerment of the Poorest (EEP) programme and Dustha Sasthya Kendra (DSK), which are promoting a collaborative approach to address urban extreme poverty and build inclusive cities, organised the workshop at LGED Bhaban in the city. Secretary of Rural Development and Cooperatives Division of LGRD Mihir Kanti Majumder also addressed the workshop, which was moderated by Jamil Ahmed, chief executive of Journalism Training and Research Initiatives (JATRI), a project of USAID and BRAC University. DSK and urban poverty experts shared their views on the challenges around achieving sustainable impacts in poverty reduction. Addressing the occasion, Mihir Kanti Majumder expressed his commitment to address the challenges facing the urban poor. The three-day event began Tuesday with an advocacy workshop where stakeholders were asked to form groups and discuss possible ways forward. Some of the challenges discussed included dealing with disability - moving towards a more inclusive private sector, land tenure security, access to basic services and protecting children.