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ICT-SPEAKER
Enhancement of ICT can speed up achievement of SDGs: Speaker
Dhaka, July 8, 2019 (BSS) – Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury today
stressed enhancing the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) to
fulfill the government’s commitment to attain the Sustainable Development
Goals by 2030.
“Digital tools today are operational necessity as well as a powerful tool
for stronger democracy,” she said welcoming the Members of Parliament and
participants of an orientation programme at the Oath Room of the Jatiya
Sangsad here.
The orientation programme titled ‘The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
and Bangladesh Parliament: Accelerate Achievement of SDGs Through Innovating
Use of ICTs and the Role of Parliamentarians’, was held in collaboration with
the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under a newly signed
Memorandum of Understanding, a UNDP press release said.
Dr Sharmin said parliaments are no exception and new ICTs have not simply
acted as tools to improve the efficiency and accuracy of parliamentary
process but have been radically transformative tools changing the way
legislatures function.
Pointing out the government’s commitment to attain the SDGs, the Speaker
said” “For the last couple of years, with the support of UNDP Bangladesh,
Parliament is working to strategize MPs’ engagement with SDGs”.
“UNDP and Bangladesh Parliament have a long history of collaboration to
achieve a common goal: sustainable development where no one is left behind,”
Bangladesh Parliament’s Senior Secretary Dr Zafar Ahmed Khan said.
“Yesterday, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between UNDP and
Bangladesh Parliament to highlight the renewed collaboration to enhance the
effectiveness of our continued development efforts in the country,” he said.
Under the MoU, UNDP will work with the Bangladesh Parliament on capacity
building initiatives to respond to the MPs’ and Parliament’s needs towards
monitoring and implementing SDGs, support MPs to have better access to
evidence-based data and organisational development.
“Parliament members in Bangladesh have a special role and responsibility to
help implement Agenda 2030, to localise SDGs, to legislate for Acceleration
and to ensure-No One is Left Behind” UNDP Resident Representative Sudipto
Mukerjee said.
Anir Chowdhury, Policy Advisor, a2i Programme, provided an overview of the
SDGs Tracker they developed in coordination with the Cabinet Division and the
ICT Division.
In the orientation programme conducted as a part of the new cooperation,
Charles Chauvel, Team Leader, Inclusive Political Process, Bureau of
Programme and Policy Support (BPSS), UNDP Headquarters and Ashok Kumar,
Center Director, e-Government Leadership Centre, Institute of Systems
Science, National University of Singapore, gave presentations on best
practices in parliaments around the world to this end and the use of ICT in
Development Progress Monitoring respectively.
Later, Deputy Speaker Dr Fazle Rabbi Miah moderated the question-answer
session.
Among others, Fakrul Ahsan, Chief Technical Advisor, UNDP; Mahmuda Afroz,
Head of Democratic Governance, UNDP, and AYM Golam Kibria, Additional
Secretary of Bangladesh, also spoke at the event.
BSS/PR/MRI/RY/1955 hrs