PR
DHAKA, November 03 2020: Char people were already lagging before the economic slowdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. And the pandemic has made them even more vulnerable. Hence, safeguarding and improving lives and livelihoods of the Char people requires special attention in the post-pandemic economic recovery process.
Several honorable Parliamentarians representing Char areas of Bangladesh opined so Tuesday at a webinar titled “Post-Pandemic Economic Recovery: The Char Challenges and Opportunities”.
Research and advocacy organization Shamunnay which is currently acting as the Secretariat of the National Char Alliance (NCA) organized the event. Bangabandhu Chair Professor of Dhaka University and former Governor of Bangladesh Bank, Dr Atiur Rahman moderated the discussion session. Md Faridul Haque Khan, MP, M A Matin, MP, Shameem Haider Patwary, MP and Khodeza Nasreen Akhter Hossain, MP participated in the discussion as special discussants. Among others, representatives from NCA member organizations and media professionals were also present.
Faridul Haque Khan, MP emphasized on initiating exclusive development programs especially for remote char areas of the country with a view to promote agriculture and entrepreneurship development in those areas. Need for further efficient land allocation to families losing land due to river erosion in char areas- was highlighted by Khodeza Nasreen Akhter Hossain, MP.
Representatives from NCA member organizations such as Friendship Bangladesh, SWISS Redcross, Practical Action Bangladesh, Oxfam Bangladesh, and Islamic Relief discussed about importance of proper disaster forecasting-based relief/resilience-building activities, improving market linkages for char-based agricultural entrepreneurs, and overcoming regulatory bottlenecks to improve targeting of safety net programs etc.
The session moderator, Dr Atiur Rahman pointed out the resilience Bangladesh has shown in facing the recent shocks as well as the opportunities of economic recovery. He urged for planned and collaborative actions to improve the situation of char areas by not only government and non-government development organizations, but also by private sector actors.
NCA has long been demanding establishment of a permanent institutional structure within the government to oversee char development. The discussants agreed that to ensure that the char agenda gets properly prioritized in the post-pandemic economic recovery process, setting up such a body has become even more important.