Local organisations should be strengthened -BDCSO

On the First day of BDCSO Annual Conference, the BDCSO Process leaders and other seven hundred CSO-NGOs said that local organisations should be strengthened instead of being replaced.

The discussion topic of day-one was "Building Civil Society, Alternatives and Local Leadership". 

The event was conducted by Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, convener of BDCSO Process and chaired by Dr Kazi Khalikujjaman Ahmad, chairman of PKSF. Rashadul Islam, director general of NGO related bureau, also attended as the special guest on Tuesday. 

The international speakers of the event were- Professor Thea Hilhorst, president of International Humanitarian Study Association (Netherlands); Dr Hany El-Banna, president of Humanitarian Forum (UK); Shudanand S Singh, international coordinator of Alliance for Empowerment; and Dr Jemy Moon, Bangladesh representative of the Norwegian Refugee Council.

The Bangladeshi guests of the event were- Rokeya Kabir from Bangladesh Nari Pragati Shangha, Jayanta Adhikari from Adab, Abdul Matin from Shajag, Abdul Latif Khan from Nahab, AHM Bajlur Rahman from BNNRC and Sharif Jamil from Bapa.

To deliver the support to the people in need, transparency has to be established. International organisations have to change their colonialist character.

About three hundred local and foreign personnel attended day-one of the three-day long national conference. Leaders from various local organisations from different districts were also there

Prof Thea Hilhorst said, "To deliver the support to the people in need, transparency has to be established. International organisations have to change their colonialist character"  

Rokeya Kabir said, "Our own people fought and achieved this nation's independence in 1971; but today's dependence on foreign aid is denuding that sense of self-reliance."

Sharif Jamil of Bapa said, "There are many examples of our NGOs and SCOs uniting general people to save the environment."