‘No people will be homeless in Bangladesh’ is the motto of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is working immensely in achieving this goal.
State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief, Dr Md Enamur Rahman made the comment while delivering his speech as the chief guest at a briefing session to host the ‘Asia Shelter Forum for 2022 in Bangladesh’ at Spectra Convention Centeron on Sunday.
The event was organized by Department of Disaster Management (DDM) with the support of Caritas Bangladesh and Catholic Relief Services.
Md Kamrul Hasan, NDC, Secretary, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, attended the ceremony as the special guest with Director General of DDM Md Atiqul Huq in the chair.
The minister also opined that ‘Asia Shelter Forum’ can be a great avenue where regional learning and sharing experiences can mitigate vulnerabilities of the disaster-prone countries.
The Secretary mentioned that shelter is one of the basic needs of human beings and these shelters are damaged by various disasters. There is a scope for enhancement of design and technology for the construction of low-cost shelters by the responsible agencies.
“Our ministry is trying to construct the shelters like Mujib Killa to protect the people from natural calamities like flood and cyclone. New innovative ideas are emerging and Asia Shelter Forum can also enrich all the shelters,” he said.
The Director General said “Shelter and settlements is one of crucial aspects of disaster management, and it’s important that we constantly discuss, learn and share our experiences.”
The organizations which are working with shelter and settlement in Bangladesh will have another venue for showcasing successes and areas to improve idea generation through upcoming Asia Shelter Forum, he added.
Asia Shelter Forum is a regional forum, initiated by shelter support practitioners in 2015 in Bangkok. In that Annual Conference of Asia Shelter Forum at Kathmandu, Nepal on 25-27 November 2021, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority of the Government of Nepal handed over the chairmanship to the Department of Disaster Management, Bangladesh to host the Annual Conference of Asia Shelter Forum 2022 in Bangladesh.
Marc D’Silva, Regional Director of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Mr James Gomes, Programme Director of Caritas Bangladesh, representatives of various shelter sector actors, and media personnel attended the event, among others.
