Stakeholders on Tuesday underscored the need to strengthen disability-inclusive local governance, improve access to public services and ensure greater participation of persons with disabilities in development planning at a district-level discussion meeting held in Dhaka.
The meeting, held at the conference room of the Dhaka Deputy Commissioner's Office, reviewed the achievements, lessons learned, challenges and future priorities of the "Expanding Civic Space through Active CSO Participation & Strengthened Governance System in Bangladesh (ECSAP)" project.
Funded by the European Union and implemented with the support of Christian Aid and the Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF), the project seeks to promote the rights, protection and inclusive development of persons with disabilities. The programme was jointly organised by the Centre for Services and Information on Disability (CSID), AMDA Bangladesh and Access Bangladesh Foundation.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development and Human Resource Management) Md. Mahabub Ullah Majumder attended the event as the chief guest.
Special guests included Md. Mahbub Ul Alam, NGO Affairs Officer at the Deputy Commissioner's Office; Akter Un Nesa Shiuly, Deputy Secretary and Regional Executive Officer of Dhaka South City Corporation; Tanmin Islam, Social Welfare Officer of Dhaka North City Corporation; Sahela Parvin, Women and Children Affairs Officer; and Sarmin Sultana, Disability Affairs Officer of Dhamrai Upazila.
Representatives from government agencies, local government institutions, development organisations, civil society, media and Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) also attended the discussion.
The programme began with a welcome address by Md. Akram Hossain, Assistant Director of CSID. Uttam Hawlader, Director of AMDA Bangladesh, and Taslim Zahan Bithi, Inclusion Lead at Access Bangladesh Foundation, later presented the project's implementation experiences, achievements, lessons learned, challenges and future priorities. The session was moderated by Ahmed Ibne Saleh, Self-Advocate Lead and Programme Officer of AMDA Bangladesh.
The implementing organisations highlighted the project's achievements in promoting the rights of persons with disabilities through legal aid, leadership development, disability data management, improved accessibility to public services, Community Score Cards, advocacy initiatives and strengthening Organisations of Persons with Disabilities.
Speakers said the project had contributed to improving access to government services, raising public awareness and advancing the social inclusion of persons with disabilities.
In his remarks, the chief guest praised the project's achievements and encouraged the implementing organisations to submit recommendations on establishing disability-inclusive Union Parishads in the project areas to the Office of the Deputy Commissioner for further consideration.
Participants also stressed the importance of making public infrastructure and services more accessible, strengthening coordination among local government institutions and government agencies, enhancing the capacity of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities and integrating disability inclusion into local development planning and budgeting.
The discussion concluded with recommendations for promoting inclusive governance, expanding civic participation and ensuring that the rights and needs of persons with disabilities remain a priority in local development initiatives.
