RAJSHAHI, Dec 29, 2020 (BSS)- Speakers at a participatory meeting today unequivocally called for ensuring transparency, accountability and citizens’ participation in different development works is vital to establish good governance in the local government institutions.
Integrated development planning can be a vital means of making the existing local government institutions and the Upazila Parishad and Union Parishad (UP) in particular effective and accountable.
The discussants came up with the observations while addressing the annual coordination meeting of the ‘Integrated Development under Efficient and Accountable Local Governance (EALG) Project’ held at the conference hall of Deputy Commissioner (DC) office today.
District administration arranged the meeting in association with the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation-SDC.
The speakers observed effective and meaningful UZPs and UPs is the precondition to reasonable improvement of living and livelihood conditions of the grassroots population. So, there is no alternative to make those up to the mark.
Deputy Commissioner Abdul Jalil addressed the meeting as the chief guest with deputy director of Local Government Division Shahana Akhter Jahan in the chair.
More than 80 persons comprising UZP Chairmen and Vice-chairmen, Upazila Nirbahi Officers, UP Chairmen, upazila officials from all eight line departments and members of the civil society joined the meeting.
Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture Extension Shamsul Haque, Deputy Director of the Department of Family Planning Dr Abdul Mannan, Executive Director of Local Government Engineering Division Saniul Haque, Deputy Director of the Department of Women Affairs Shobnom Shirin and Upazila Chairman Anil Kumar Sarker also spoke.
District Facilitator of EALG Project Abu Hena Mostafa Kamal illustrated the aims and objectives of the project and its implementation strategy during his multimedia presentation.
DC Abdul Jalil stressed the need for strengthening local government institutions for strong democracy and its institutionalisation at the grassroots level which is important for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He also said strengthening local governance has been a key focus of the government of Bangladesh and called for greater youth participation in local governance for attainment of the SDGs.
“Youth participation is very important for local governance in attaining SDGs, and leaving no one behind, you have to work for it,” he added.
Taking part in open discussions the other participants put forward a set of recommendations on how to make the local government bodies effective accountable.