Taskforce on strengthening BBS to sit with key stakeholders

A government-formed taskforce on strengthening BBS has decided to sit with key stakeholders aiming to make its recommendations for the sake of an inclusive and forward-looking reforms process.

The stakeholders include academia, researchers, NGOs, private sector, development partners and media representatives.

The decisions were taken at a meeting of the taskforce held on Tuesday at the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) headquarters in the city's Agargaon area, a press release said.

According to it, the taskforce on strengthening data quality, transparency, and access to the BBS held its second working meeting on the day to discuss how to improve the quality, openness, and credibility of Bangladesh's national statistical system.

Officials of the BBS and taskforce members were present at the meeting.

The government earlier formed the taskforce with the Executive Chairman of PPRC Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman its head while other members of the taskforce include Mohammad Abdul Wazed, former DG, BBS, Dr. Fahmida Khatun, Executive Director, CPD, Dr Mohammad Abdur Razzaque, Chairman, RAPID, Dr. Syed Shahadat Hossain, President, Bangladesh Statistical Association, Dr. Mohammad Mainul Islamand, Dr. Atonu Rabbani, Professors respectively of departments of population sciences and economics, University of Dhaka, and Dr. Mohammad Yunus, Research Director, BIDS.

Taskforce members also held a courtesy meeting with the Planning Advisor, Professor Wahiduddin Mahmud on the scope and direction of their work and a working meeting at PPRC to formulate the Taskforce's strategic approach and a work plan focusing on institutional architecture, data eco-system, incentivizing professionalism and performance, strengthening access, methodology unit, core surveys and mandatory periodicity.

"We will organize stakeholder consultations for the sake of ensuring an inclusive, grounded, and forward-looking reform process. Engaging diverse voices-from academia to grassroots NGOs-will be key to developing a statistical system that is both credible and responsive to national needs," said the press release quoting the taskforce Chair Dr. Zillur Rahman.

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