Regional Advocacy Workshop
"Working Together to Address Extreme Poverty: UP Budget Allocation and Accessing Land"
Date: November 22, 2011
Venue: CASPIA Hotel & Restaurant, Circuit House Road, Rangpur
CARE-Bangladesh SETU organized a `Regional Advocacy Workshop'
titled 'Working Together to Address Extreme Poverty: UP Budget
Allocation and Accessing Land' at CASPIA Restaurant, Rangpur on
22nd November, 2011. In spite of world economic crisis,
Bangladesh's achievement for poverty eradication is being praised
by the world economist and practitioners. The ownership of this
achievement does not belong only to Govt.; non-govt.
organizations, civil society, political leaders and community people
themselves would be the part of this. The objective of the said
workshop was to ensure 'collective efforts for poverty eradication.
The workshop was honored by Mr. Jasim Uddin Ahmed, Divisional
Commissioner, Rangpur as Chief Guest. Alexandra Maclean,
Assistant Country Director of CARE Bangladesh and Mr. Tareq
Salauddin, Communications Manager, shiree were as the special
guests in the workshop. Additional District Commissioners (ADC-General) of 4 districts, district senior officials of Agriculture,
Livestock and Fisheries and around 18 Upazilla Nirbahi Officers of respective working unions of CARE-SETU and Practical
Action-Bangladesh make the workshop more fruitful. The regional development practitioners along with shiree officials
and their scale as well as innovation partners also contributed from their own position to make the workshop more
meaningful. Union Parishad chairmen of SETU working areas and journalists of print and electronic media were also
present in the workshop.
The whole workshop was well moderated by Mr. Anowarul Haq, Impact Director, Extreme Rural Poverty Programme.
A number of important advocacy issues were raised in the open discussion including the need for law and court support
to be provided to ensure khas-land distribution and the potential for replication of CARE and Practical Action models in
other parts of the country. The need for more collaboration between government and development partners was
highlighted and the idea of having Regional Forum was discussed as a way of all groups operating to promote synergy
and reduce overlap.
Welcome Speech
Anowarul Haq welcomed and thanked everybody on behalf of CARE-B, shiree and other shiree partners. He briefed the
objectives of the workshop.
Inauguration
Through informing some recent initiatives taken by present government, Md. Jashim Uddin Ahmed, the Divisional
Commissioner started his inaugural speech. He informed that government is trying to set some standard database on
poverty. He added we have resources, but due to lack of proper planning (there are many of overlapping works in same
areas), we are far below if we compare with our surrounding countries, even than Bhutan. He also added Govt. is thinking
to prepare the 'ultra poor list'. He emphasized the importance of re-distribution of 'khas' land (1 no. khatian land); he
added that govt. is computerizing (database) 1 no. khatian land information. He also informed that now one farmer can
open an account just with 10 taka - he commented that it's a revolutionary initiative of present government. He said that
Internet-base monitoring system has been established for monitoring UP and Upazilla level government work. Finally, at
this stage he commented that poverty reduction is not possible only by the government; a combined efforts (govt. and
non-govt.) -- then welcoming everybody in this race he inaugurated the workshop.
Video Presentation
A video film, titled 'Botlagari Chronicle' focusing the 'Participatory Pro-Poor Governance' of SETU project was showed just
after the inaugural session.
PowerPoint Presentations
A. Shiree's PowerPoint presentation: by Tareq Salauddin
The major areas of this presentation were:
- what dose shiree mean
- describes the purpose and objectives of shiree
- explaining extreme poverty: urban = < bdt. 27 and rural = < bdt.
22/day.
- shiree partners
- pockets of vulnerability
- scaling tried and tested models
- Advocacy works of shiree: better access & policy (dialogue and
collaboration, mobilize policy reform and GoB support, facilitate the
capture of knowledge & learning, inspire and enable other
stakeholders
- Some success: engage private sectors, collaborative works with govt.
different line departments, work with local government (UP)
- Sustainability: need to engage local government
- Challenges
Note: Detail of the presentation is attached as 'annex-1'.
B. CARE-SETU's PowerPoint presentation on 'Pro-poor Inclusive Governance:
CARE's Experience of Transforming Local Government >> by Saifuddin
Ahmed
The major areas of this presentation were:
- political empowerment: facilitating participatory governance in SETU
- promoting dialogue through participatory spaces
- participatory budgeting
- local govt. budget allocation for Extreme Poor
- our expectation
Note: Detail of the presentation is attached as 'annex-2'.
C. Practical Action-Bangladesh's PowerPoint presentation on 'howtechnology can contribute for eradication extreme
>> by A.Z.M Nazmul Islam Chowdhury
The major areas of this presentation were:
- Poverty & vulnerability context
- Project goal (with 04 outcomes)
- Graduation Model
- Project partnership and key stakeholders
- Working area map
- Approach and livelihood interventions
- Resource & opportunity, we can use
- Sector:Agriculture >> Sandbar cropping, Cage culture, happa breeding, livestock, beef fattening, duck
rearing, community-based paravet, small enterprise, handicraft, weaving, food processing, light
engineering, persons with disability, women empowerment,
- Impacts: access to natural resources management, ....
- linkage with government
Note: Detail of the presentation is attached as 'annex-3'.
Then Nazmul also showed a short video film, which was broadcasted on 'DW-TV' and was rewarded by 'KAN
award'.
Open Discussion
Issue
Raised By
Khas-land
Abdul
distribution for Khaleque,
land-less and Uttaran
extreme poor
communities
Replication of
CARE-SETU
and
PA-B
Model
More
collaboration is
required
in
between Govt.
and NGOs
Need
-
Discussions
Comments from Other
In Uttaran, by this time, 7000 EP has got access to khas-land Divisional Commissioner:
through the facilitation of project
Khas-land: real reform of khasIf law/court support is ensured, then khas-land distribution land is necessary now.
becomes easy.
Need to revise policy: a widow who has either son or
daughter (that doesn't matter) should have the rights to access
khas-land.
Delwar
The activities and initiatives which CARE-SETU and PA-B is
Hossain, SAP- implementing are really replicable for other parts of the country;
BD
so it requires replication.
Md.
Rezaul
Karim,
Department of
Livestock,
Nilphamari
to Selim,
He suggested that development partners should come with
government with more collaborative approach. Cow-milk is
selling at a lower rate in remotest areas of Nilphamari. He
suggested taking initiatives from development practitioners for
this type of intervention.
CLP, Need a 'regional forum' for avoiding overlapping.
Divisional Commissioner:
-Cow-milk could be sold at
growth centers -- it could be
explored.
-Black bengal goats could be
promoted more in this region.
Divisional Commissioner:
establish
'Regional
Forum'
a Rangpur
Regional meetings should be held
at a regular intervals.
Overlapping should be avoided:
more integration is required.
Integration of Abul Hasnat, It is required an integrated approach and should give same Divisional Commissioner:
agriculture,
District
priority on each of the sectors (e.g. agriculture, livestock, Agriculture does not mean only
fisheries and Fisheries
fisheries, etc.).
rice/wheat
cultivation.
livestock
Officer,
Fisheries/Livestock is a big sector
Lalmonirhat
He added that sometimes presentation of error-data/ information which is contributing in meeting
mislead us.
up protein as well as nutritional
demand.
Group-based (co-operative approach) fisheries culture is
encouraged >> govt. should initiate more projects.
There has a contradiction in between fisheries and co-operative
department >> initiatives required from Divisional
Commissioner.
Fisheries
Shah
Imam Fisheries initiatives have been stopped at 'tista-barage' areas. He Divisional Commissioner:
activities
in
'Tista-Barage'
areas required.
The
word
'monga' should
disappear.
Be careful in
using
data/error
Limitations of
resources
Defining Landless, ultra-poor
people
'Ward Shova'
for doing UP
open Budget
Jafar Sadeque,
DFO,
Nilphamari
Anowar, UP
Chairman,
Kishoregari,
Palashbari,
Gaibandha
welcomed every individuals/organizations to come with A rapid initiative will be taken for
fisheries initiatives in tista-barage regions.
proper utilizing (fish-culture)
around Tista-Barage areas.
- The word 'monga' should not be used now, because the Almost all the participants argued
situation has been changed.
that the situation is changing and
- Tohshildar should conduct a survey when any new char is the word 'monga' should be
found.
disappeared.
- He proposed that khas pond should be leased (with free of
cost) to the farmers for at least five years.
Additional
- He mentioned Mr. Nazmul Islam Chowdhury presented an Anowarul Haque mentioned that
District
error data (regarding the GDP contribution from livestock if any error data is presented in
Livestock
rearing). He suggested that we should be careful more while the workshop, that was not
Officer
we are using national data.
intentionally.
Md.
He raised an important issue that it is needed of the proper
Hasanuzzaman utilization of the land of Water Development Board (WDB.
Chowdhury,
DD-Fisheries,
Rangpur
Aminur
Sometimes, both Govt. and development practitioners use
Rahman
different terminology (land-less, fishermen, etc) to define the
Bablu, Uttaran most vulnerable groups of people -- he suggested that these
groups of people might have lots of criteria, but we should call
them by a common term, like 'extreme poor'.
Asma
She suggested that while we are doing 'Open Budget' things, we Anowarul Haque replied that
Khanom,
need to conduct 'Ward Shova' also according to 'Local CARE-SETU is following the
LGSP
Government Support Programme (LGSP).
same processes which are
mentioned in LGSP.
Shafayet
- Include city level dwellers (slum dwellers) in any discussion
Hossain, DSK
specially in this type of forum
One
UP - Family planning and protection of child marriage initiatives
Chairman
should be taken by CARE, PA-B and other NGOs.
Slum dwellers
issue
Family
Planning and
Child Marriage
Distribution of Sultana Pervin -
There is lots of criticality in distributing khas-land. Usually, Divisional Commissioner:
'khas-land' and UNO, Kawnia,
effectiveness
Rangpur
of NGO work
-
only agriculture 'khas-land' is distributed. To distribute char
khas-land, it is required to re-name it.
She also warns the negative effects of using pesticide in the
field.
- She is little bit confused with the activities/initiatives of
NGOs. She questioned 'are NGO works really contributing
for the development?'
Allocation of Khan
Arifur - He again emphasized for distribution or re-allocation of char
khas-land
Rahman, PA-B
khas land.
Treating
Mamun Islam, Mr. Mamun mentioned:
'Climate
BSS, Rangpur - An effective discussions have been happened over the
Change' as a
period of the day.
priority issue
- He treated 'climate change' as a prioritized issue.
- He also suggested that the comments/suggestions which
have come in this workshop should be channelized to the
respective policy makers.
He disagreed with UNO of
Kawnia -- NGOs do not do any
biological works. There might be
some wrongs from government
part. A good rapport with NGOs
is continuing since long time; it
will be continued.
Divisional Commissioner:
Climate change is a big concerned
now in our country as we are
living downstream. It is needed to
discuss this issue at national level.
Speech of Md. Saidur Rahman Sarker, Chairman, Botlagari
In describing the 'SETU Governance Model', firstly Mr. Saidur memorized
the history of SETU/CARE's engagement with Botlagari UP. Then he
briefed the activities, which SETU is doing in his union:
- formation of 'fistful of rice'
- emerging of Natural Leaders (NLs) and formation of NLO.
- identification of EP
- collective initiatives taken by poor/EP community people (banana
cultivation, fisheries culture)
- 100 farmers are engaged with apiculture >> now they are self-sustained.
- Many types of income generating activities are going well in Botlagari
(e.g. mini garments, RUG production, group-based banana/vegetables
(potato, tomato), field crops cultivation, group-based fisheries activities,
etc).
- Open budget: firstly pre-budget is done at each ward in the presence of
respective ward member. Demands are come from local poor/EP people
- Now in Botlagari, natural leaders are authorized for tax is collection and they are collecting taxes.
Mr. Saidur Rahman finished his speech telling a touchy story of a group of Extreme Poor people. Very shortly he informed that two
years before a group of Extreme Poor and Poor people grew banana and vegetables in a big 'govt. acquired land'; but, seeing the huge
production in a barren land, the local rich people become greedy and they grabbed the land. Mr. Saidur seek assistance from the
Divisional Commissioner to take off the land from the rich people for the poor and extreme poor.
Reflection of the Workshop
Ms. Alexandra Maclean, Assistant Country Director, CARE-Bangladesh
thanked everybody who participated and made suggestions/comments for
the development of the extreme poor. She added that though it's a challenge
to work together for eradication of poverty, but there is no alternative of
that. She emphasized the linking of the extreme poor with different service
providers as simple one livelihood option is not sufficient for the uplift of
the extreme poor. Then Alex assures that this type of dialogue/initiatives
will be continued.
Moderator's Concluding Speech
Mr. Anowarul Haque, the moderator of this event emphasized that the sharing (what is happening in SETU) with district level govt.
officials should be strengthened. He seeks assistance form govt. officials for the replication of good practices/initiatives. He added that
proper monitoring mechanism need to be placed for monitoring whether services and supports are going to the appropriate extreme
poor. He concluded that as our (both Govt. and NGOs) Goal is similar, so let's try collectively to eradicate poverty from our country
and make our country as 'poverty-free'.
Wrapping up and Conclusion
The chief guest, Mr. Jashim Uddin Ahmed, Divisional Commissioner wrap-up the whole day event:
He mentioned that Union Parishad is one of our oldest local institutions. He expressed his excitements seeing the governance work of
CARE-SETU project, "I am really impressed to see the 'Botlagari Governance Model' and I am requesting all govt. officials to visit
Botlagari UP." He emphasized on some key issues at his closing speech - he added that we need to to accelerate our growth centers
through marketing local products. He also emphasized the improvement of rail-way communication so that local farmers of this region
could take their products to Dhaka and other parts of the country. Then he put a request to NGO officials to do something for the
women of this region (specially, in Pirganj areas) who are taking loan from money lenders with high interest. Finally, saying "this
forum has opened our eyes. This country is not belonged only to govt. officials, it is for all (GO & NGO)", he declared the closing of
the workshop.