Ensuring accountability and citizen’s participation in the delivery process of public services are vital to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Bangladesh.
A number of communities across the country are lagging behind due to critical challenges to exercise the rights of access to public services.
Considering the issues, the government needs to focus on strengthening coordination among local authorities and improving appreciation among local communities about public services to ensure smooth implementation of national policies at local level.
These recommendations were made at a national conference, titled 'Democratic Governance and Development: Role of Grassroots Citizens Organisations', at a convention centre in Dhaka on Wednesday, according to a press release.
The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and Oxfam in Bangladesh jointly arranged the event in association with the Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh.
The programme was arranged as part of a project titled ‘Enhancing the participation of community-based organisations (CBOs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) in democratic governance in Bangladesh’, funded by the European Union in Bangladesh.
Local citizens of 13 districts examined quality of public service delivery in the areas of agriculture, vulnerable group development, education, health and water and sanitation. Based on these social audit reports, a citizen’s charter has been adopted at the conference where the observations and aspirations of grassroots citizens related public services were reflected.
Lawmaker Saber Hossain Chowdhury, also the chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Honorary President of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), addressed the Closing Plenary of the conference as special guest.
Saber said he would take the observations and recommendations of the citizen charter presented in the conference to the parliamentary discussions.
He emphasised that the government will continue to take necessary steps to ensure transparency and accountability in the delivery of public services and implementation of national development policies at all levels from national to grassroots.
Lawmaker Hafiz Ahmed Mazumder, also the chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Planning, also present at the Closing Plenary of the event as special guest.
He put stress on the role of the local public representatives to raise awareness and participation of local people in implementing development policies at the local level.
CPD's Distinguished Fellow and Convenor of Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya chaired the closing session of the conference.
Debapriya said that the pledge of the SDGs is to leave no one behind from the development process.
"And to do so, it is a must to include that voices of marginalised people of hard-to-reach areas of the country are heard and reflected in the national development policies," he suggested.
Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh Rensje Teerink and CPD Chairman Professor Rehman Sobhan were present at the event as guest of honour.
The day-long event was participated by around 650 participants from across the country including representatives from hard-to-reach communities, officials from local government and administrators, development practitioners, social activists, international development partners among others.
