Stakeholders at a conference in Dhamrai have called for stronger coordination among government institutions, local government bodies, civil society organisations and organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) to ensure disability-inclusive development, access to public services and social accountability.
The stakeholder conference was organised at the Upazila Administration Hall Room in Dhamrai to discuss the lessons, achievements, challenges and future priorities of the “Expanding Civic Space through Active CSO Participation & Strengthened Governance System in Bangladesh (ECSAP)” project.
The project is being implemented by Access Bangladesh Foundation with funding from the European Union and support from Christian Aid and Manusher Jonno Foundation.
The conference focused on strengthening the rights and protection of persons with disabilities and ensuring their meaningful participation in local government and public services.
Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, Upazila Development Facilitator of the Upazila Governance and Development Project (UGDP) under the Local Government Division; Assistant Education Officer Liaquat Hossain; Administrative Officer Md Khalid Hossain; Upazila Disability Affairs Officer Sharmin Sultana; and Youth Development Officer Jamal Naser Khan attended the event as special guests.
Representatives from various government departments, development organisations, civil society, elected representatives, media and organisations of persons with disabilities also participated in the conference.
Access Bangladesh Foundation Chairperson and co-founder Mahua Pal delivered the welcome address.
Taslim Zahan Bithi, Inclusion Lead at Access Bangladesh Foundation, presented the achievements, lessons and experiences of the project.
She said the project had developed a needs-based database of persons with disabilities and strengthened the capacity of four self-help groups and two organisations of persons with disabilities.
The project also facilitated the inclusion of persons with disabilities in various local-level committees, provided assistive devices and connected beneficiaries with government services, she said.
Through legal aid clinics, persons with disabilities received legal assistance, while community scorecards were introduced as an initiative to strengthen social accountability and citizen participation.
As part of its advocacy activities, Access Bangladesh was included as an “observer member” of the Dhaka District Legal Aid Committee, Bithi said.
She also said the project had secured a commitment from Kulla Union Parishad to construct disability-friendly toilets and ramps.
The project experience showed that an accurate database, strong self-help groups and OPDs, and regular coordination with government institutions can play an effective role in ensuring access to services and rights for persons with disabilities, she said.
Community scorecards and public hearings were also identified as effective tools for strengthening accountability and citizen participation.
Participants stressed the need to ensure accessibility to government services and public infrastructure for persons with disabilities.
They also called for stronger coordination among local government institutions and government departments, as well as closer cooperation between OPDs and development organisations.
Strengthening the institutional capacity of organisations of persons with disabilities and prioritising disability inclusion in local development planning and budgets were also highlighted.
Speakers stressed the importance of regular training and orientation programmes for elected representatives, government officials and community members.
They also put forward various recommendations based on lessons learned from the project, existing challenges and future priorities.
The participants said the project had played an important role in increasing access to government services for persons with disabilities, raising awareness and strengthening their social inclusion.
They called for the lessons and mechanisms developed through the project to be incorporated into future local-level planning and governance initiatives to ensure more inclusive public services and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities.
