Around 700 CSOs and NGOs gathered to their National Convention at Krishibid Institute in the city’s Farmgate on Saturday and claimed their recognition.
The National Convention titled “Accountability and Localization for Humanitarianism and Development with Positive Engagement” was organized by Bangladesh CSO NGO Coordination Process with the assistance of COAST Trust and supported by Oxfam, said a press release on Sunday.
In his speech as the chief guest in the inaugural session of the national convention, Dr. Quazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, Chairman of PKSF, said that local CSO and NGOs are indispensable to the country’s development.
In his concluding speech, former Bangladesh Bank governor Dr Atiur Rahman placed different promising figures of the country and said that local NGOs have to complement, collaborate with the government and should be innovative for new prosperous Bangladesh.
The UN Resident Coordinator Ms. Mia Seppo delivered the inauguration speech at the convention.
The national convention was a culmination process of last two years’ countrywide process on uniting local CSOs and NGOs for standing with self-esteem as the development actors of the country.
Aroma Dutta MP, Gokul K Ghosh, Director NGO Bureau, Shaheen Anam of Manusher Jonno Foundation, Phedra Moon Morris of Canadian Embassy and Ajmat Ulla, IFRC Country Representative were also present at the daylong convention and spoke during different sessions.
There were participant delegates from ECHO program of the European Union, USAID, DFID and other donor groups and international NGOs.
Mostafa Kamal Akanda of COAST and Monjur Rashid of Oxfam placed the Charter of Self-Accountability that pledged the Local NGOs and CSOs will be transparent and accountable to public and to their values related to rights-based approach.
Barkat Ullah Maruf and Nayeem Warha read out the Charter of Expectations that demands from government recognition of NGO work as development and not to shrink their space by any law or policy as they are serving the poorest.
The Charter also demanded that the INGOs should be limited only in monitoring and technical assistance instead of direct operation, treating their local partners equally in partnerships.