Civil society concerned about bureaucratic barriers and urges for independent space

A state-led process for cooperation (among state, market and civil society), the fourth Monitoring Round (MR), a seminar held in the CIRDAP auditorium, organised by COAST Foundation, CDP and BDCSO Process, was held on Saturday in connection to GPEDC (Global Partnership on Effective Development Cooperation).

In the seminar, CSO leaders urged the elimination of bureaucratic barriers and the creation of an open and free space for raising their voices.

The seminar was chaired by AHM Jahangir, Additional Secretary, ERD, and national coordinator of GPEDC 4th MR, and moderated by Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Executive Director COAST and South Asia Civil Society focal point of GPEDC.

Keynote presentations were given by Dr Sohel Iqbal, COAST, Jahangir Hossain Masum CDP, Ziaul Haque Mukta, CSRL, Luca De Fraia, Co-Chair of GPEDC, Ben Morgan as UNRC Representative, Sardar M Asaduzzan, UNDP Assistant Resident Representative, Dr Rezaul Bashar Siddique, Additional Secretary (RPL), Abul Kalam Azad, Deputy Secretary, Gawher NayeemWarha, Disaster Forum, Sharif Jamil from DORA, Brig Gen Abu Nayeem (Retd) FBCCI, Taslima Miji a local female entrepreneur, KAM Morshed BRAC and others.

Ziaul Hque Mukta said the CSOs have to be critical of political society too, historically Bengal is the rich place for aboriginal civil society development.

Luca De Fraia said that an independent and proactive civil society is fundamental for SDG achievement.

Dr Sohel Iqbal in his keynote presentation, mentioned key achievements from the conferences from Rome to Kampala, he elaborated on five principles from Kampala conferences, including local ownership, result orientation, accountability and transparency, and leaving no one behind.

Jahangir Hossain Masum explained the monitoring questionaries.

Dr Rezaul Bashar Siddque and Abul Kalam Azad of ERD emphasised nonpartisan character of civil society.

Ben Morgan and Sardar MAsaduzzaman of UN appreciated Bangladesh’s initiative taken by the on government on GPEDC.

KAM Morshed from BRAC gave importance on developing and implementing of reform proposals to make development effective.

Most of the grassroots NGOs criticised the donor’s role of giving less importance to funding local organisations thereby to local civil society development.

Gawhar Nayeem Warha criticised the role of government agencies and district-level officials, creating barriers related to registration and funding clearance. Sharif Jamil. renowned environment and climate activist told his experience in international negotiation for getting people's decisions. Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, the moderator of the seminar, gave different positive examples of civil society movements in the country where government policy leaders took changes in decisions, but still, there are need for open and free space for civil society to raise its voice.

AHM Jahangir, the Additional Secretary and the chair of the session, urged for work unitedly for reform and a new Bangladesh.