NGO News Report

The Summit was founded in 2009 by David Jones and Kate Robertson, a UK-based non-profit organization that gathers together the brightest young people from all countries around the world, empowering them to make lasting connections to create positive change. The One Young World, hosted this year by the Governor of Bangkok and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, who welcomed the audience at the opening ceremony.

In his speech Professor Yunus told the young people that they are the most powerful generation in the history of humankind and had all the power and creativity to create a world with three zeroes – zero poverty, zero unemployment and zero net carbon emissions. Professor Yunus arrived on stage to standing ovations from the 1300 strong audience.

The other two key note speakers at the opening were 7th UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and rocker turned poverty activist Sir Bob Geldof. Professor Yunus, Kofi Annan and Bob Geldof were joined on stage by Counselors to the young delegates from around the world which include luminaries from around the world including Avatar-famed Hollywood producer Jon Landau and legendary cricketer Steve Waugh.

The One Young World Summit 2015 focuses on social issues such as environment, women’s empowerment, education, youth unemployment and role of global business. The summit is being attended by 1,300 young leaders from 196 countries across the world, including a 10-member delegation from Bangladesh.

A team of ten bright young Bangladeshis, nine of whom are young women, joined Professor Muhammad Yunus to attend the One Young World Summit, selected by Yunus Centre through a competitive selection process organized over several months. They are working in the field in youth development, climate change, human rights among others. Executive Director of Yunus Centre, Lamiya Morshed will lead the delegation to Bangkok.

This is the third year that the OYW has sponsored a ten member team to attend the Summit with Professor Yunus. Last year’s delegation attended the Summit in Dublin, Ireland.

On the second day of the Summit Professor Yunus will address a special plenary session on social business. There will also be presentation of social business plans by four teams of Thai social entrepreneurs who are the finalists in the Thai Young Leaders Program organized by Thai Social Enterprise Office. The program included more than 100 social business designs from around the country. Professor Yunus and his team have been invited to judge the social business competition to choose the winner who will be awarded two million baht to initiate their social business.

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Mahdy Hassan ::

A business plan is a written formal document which tells what and how one plans to do one’s own business. It also can be termed as business strategy. It will guide the efforts of social entrepreneurs in establishing and designing business successfully.

Youth School for Social Entrepreneurs (YSSE) is currently working in assisting and promoting social entrepreneurs. As part of this journey, YSSE organized a training program on “How to Design a Business Plan For Social Entrepreneurship?” on 11 September 2015 at the premises of Policy Research Centre (PRC), Dhaka.

The training program was presided over by the CEO and Founder of YSSE, Mr. Sheikh Mohammad Yousuf Hossain while the training sessions were conducted by honorable guests respectively Mr. Syed Fazle Niaz, Training for Trainer Specialist and Mr. Keynote Speaker Mr. Md. Adnan Hossain, Founder and CEO, It’s Humanity Foundation.

Around 50 young social change makers participated in this interactive training session with passion and enthusiasm. YSSE member, online volunteers, active volunteers and youth ambassadors were included among those participants.

Through the voluntary efforts of YSSE, it has got to know a number of entrepreneurs and the people who really want to be entrepreneur where most of them are young people. The approach of training sessions included lecture, braining storming, participation and team work in group presentations.

YSSE found that most of the participants were highly skilled and confident to do business along with welfare activities. They have high potential to change the society. YSSE hopes that this training with proper guidelines will help them in preparing a proper business plan.

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NGO News Report

Professor Yunus launched the Centenary Lecture Series with a Nobel Lecture. First time in the history of the University, where second President of India Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan used to teach, had a Nobel Laureate giving a lecture. The Vice-Chancellor ceremoniously greeted him with traditional Peta (traditional Mysore) cap, shawl, and a detailed bust made of sandalwood.

Yunus addressed an audience consisting of former ministers, eight former Vice -Chancellors of the University, political leaders, businessmen, bankers, industrialists, NGO leaders, and graduate students. Professor Yunus lecture marked the beginning of centenary celebration.

There are over 70 Bangladeshi students at the university where more than 1500 students from 60 countries are studying. Professor Yunus also visited the SBRR Mahajana First Grade College in Mysore to launch the Indian Chapter of the Social Business Academic Network. He also addressed faculty and students of the 75 year old College.

Earlier Professor Yunus inaugurated the brand new NH Super Speciality Cancer Hospital in Mysore, built by Narayana Health Systems on in Mysore. Professor Yunus was especially invited by Dr. Devi Shetty, the well-known founder of Narayana Health who has built more than 32 hospitals all across India, to be chief guest at the event.

The cancer hospital is the latest addition to the NH multi speciality hospital, popularly known as Mysore Health City, which was built, inspired by Professor Yunus’s philosophy, to provide access to the best health care at lowest cost to people from low and lower middle income group.

The hospital is built with least cost building materials, avoided multi-story construction, uses cross ventilation systems instead of air-conditioning in order to save on investment costs which are invariably passed on to patients, driving up hospitalization cost out of the reach of ordinary people.

Addressing a large audience at the inauguration ceremony, Professor Yunus congratulated Dr. Shetty for setting up yet another land mark in healthcare bringing top quality health services to the poorest people and make it affordable for them. The ceremony was attended by 500 participants including the local MLA, high level officials, dignitaries, and all the medical staff of the Health City.

Earlier in the visit, Professor Yunus visited Narayana Health in Bangalore to see the latest facilities of the hospital including a brand new cancer hospital and state of the art research facilities in the state capital. A large crowd received Professor Yunus as he arrived the hospital including large number of Bangladeshis who are there as patients or companions.

According to hospital sources, an estimated annual amount of $150 million is spent by Bangladeshis for treatment at Indian hospitals. More than 700 patients come each month on an average to N Health Bangalore alone, primarily for heart and cancer treatment, spinal care and eye care.

Professor Yunus was taken around the new facilities by Dr. Shetty personally. Afterwards he delivered a lecture to a packed auditorium of doctors, nurses, medical personnel of the hospital about social business and how it can play a role in bringing three zeros – zero unemployment, zero poverty and zero net carbon emissions – to create a new civilization. Professor Yunus is accompanied on this visit by Lamiya Morshed, Executive Director of Yunus Centre.

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NGO News Report

He was invited to deliver a special lecture at the Rajiv Gandhi National Institution of Youth Development (RGNIYD) in Sriperumbudur, 40 kilometers from Chennai, and to launch the new programme of offering master degree in Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation, at the Institute.

Mr. Rajeev Gupta, Central Secretary of Youth Ministry flew over from Delhi to Chennai to receive Professor Yunus and be present at all the ceremonies. Imprint of both feet of Professor Yunus was ceremoniously taken on Plaster of Paris to display in the institute to inspire young students of the institute.

Rajiv Gandhi Institute was founded in memory of Rajiv Gandhi at the place where he was assassinated. This is a special institute under the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Government of India implementing programmes for youth all over India. The Institute announced a programme to turn unemployed youth into entrepreneurs through social business.

The event was jointly organized by the Rajiv Gandhi Institute and CIRDAP, an intergovernmental organization comprising 15 countries, headquartered in Dhaka. Dr Cecep Effendi, Director General of CIRDAP came from Dhaka to be present in the ceremony and extend support from CIRDAP for follow up programmes out of Professor Yunus’s visit.

A team from Yunus Centre was also invited to carry out a workshop on social business for 50 participants including students and entrepreneurs at the institute as a first step towards longer term collaboration with Professor Yunus.

In the evening, Professor Yunus delivered a special lecture at an event of industrialists and businessmen of Chennai, organized by TiE, the Indus Entrepreneurs and Villgro the largest social enterprise incubator in India.

Around 300 top business people and entrepreneurs attended the lecture. Professor Yunus challenged the audience to use their power, and resources to try out social business to solve a problem that they care about.

On the morning of September 2, Professor Yunus was received and felicitated by the Governor of Tamil Nadu, His Excellency Mr. Konijeti Rosaiah at the Raj Bhavan. Mr. Rosaiah who was the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, was very interested to learn about the work of Grameen and the social business initiatives of Professor Yunus and its use in addressing the problem of youth unemployment in Tamil Nadu.

In the afternoon, Professor Yunus delivered a lecture at an event organized by Young Indians, a group of young professionals and business people affiliated with the Confederation of Indian Industries, who work to engage young people in building ethical and moral leadership among the young and become more proactive in giving back to society.

Professor Yunus leaves for Bangalore on September 2 evening where he is invited by Dr. Devi Shetty to launch a brand new healthcare City founded by Dr Devi Shetty in Mysore.

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To create employment opportunities for released prisoners by providing them with various marketable skills to increase their opportunities for employability, a public-private collaboration has been initiated by the Prison Directorate on behalf of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and UK Department for International Development (DFID).

As a part of this initiative, the first-ever training course on “Moccasin Shoe Stitching” was launched where 21prisoners have successfully completed their training on 10 August 2015. The training was initiated by the Prison Directorate and conducted by the Center of Excellence for Leather (COEL) Skill Bangladesh Ltd. in coordination with Dhaka Ahsania Mission. GIZ provided the technical support for this training. The certificate-giving ceremony was held on 27 August 2015 at Kashimpur Central Jail Part 2.

Dr. Md. Mozammel Haque Khan, Senior Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, was the Chief Guest and the event was chaired by the Brigadier General Syed Iftekhar Uddin, Inspector General of Prisons, Prison Directorate. A.K.M Afzalur Rahman (Babu), Vice Chairman and  KaziRoushanAra, Head of Operation, COEL, Bangladesh Ltd.; Mr. Proshanto Kumar Banik, Senior Jail Superintendent; Ms. Tahera Yasmin, Senior Program Advisor, Rule of Law, GIZ and representatives from Dhaka Ahsania Mission and GIZ were also present at the ceremony.

“Historically, prison was considered to be a place mainly for punishment, today prison has gradually transferred into place for rehabilitation ” -said the Senior Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs,Dr. Md. Mozammel Haque Khan, during his speech at the certificate-giving ceremony. He also expressed that this training will provide the prisoners with capacity of not only finding a job after release but will also help them to be self-employed.

Brigadier General Syed Iftekhar Uddin, Inspector General of Prisons said,” Through technical education provided to the prisoners will gain confidence to be reintegrated in the society”. He also hoped that the trained prisoners will not reoffend and come back to prison. He wished that the prisoners will live a respectable life as a functional member of the society once released.

One of the trainees shared his enthusiasm about the artful nature of the training and mentioned,“the helplessness of returning to the society without a means of living use to make me very depressed, but not anymore. Now after receiving this training I know I can get a job in a shoe making company or be self-employed after release.”

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At Pan Pacific Sonargoan Hotel, Dhaka a two-day international conference entitled ‘Restorative Justice: From Crime Prevention to Conflict Transformation’ was inaugurated by Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, M.P., Honourable Speaker of the Bangladesh Parliament, Mr. Asaduzzaman Khan, M.P., Honourable Minister of Home Affairs, Dr. Ferdinand von Weyhe, Chargé d’Affaires, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Ms. Sarah Cooke, Country Representative, DFID Bangladesh, and Mr. Tobias Becker, Country Director, GIZ Bangladesh. The inaugural session was chaired by Dr. Md. Mozammel Haque Khan, Senior Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs on 19 August 2015.

The conference results from discussions between the Ministries of Home and Law on the importance of Restorative Justice for tackling the pressure of outstanding cases in courts, for reducing the overcrowding in prisons and for increasing the effectiveness of the police and courts. On 20 August 2015, recommendations from the conference will be placed before the Honourable Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Mr. Anisul Huq, M.P.

Officials from the two ministries, prison officers, police, judges, lawyers, legal aid officers, local government members, journalists and academics from home and abroad discussed how Restorative Justice can reduce crime, restore faith in the delivery of justice, give voice and closure to victims, remove fear of crime, and explore the potential of this approach in Bangladesh. The keynote speech was delivered by Mr. John Braithwaite, renowned criminologist and a Distinguished Professor of the academic and implementation aspects of Restorative Justice.

Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, MP, Honourable Speaker of the Bangladesh Parliament said, “The Government of Bangladesh is committed to reinforcing people’s confidence in the criminal justice system. I believe there is an opportunity to look at the practice of restorative justice more widely in Bangladesh.”

The Honourable Minister of Home Affairs, Mr. Asaduzzaman Khan said, “If we can prevent crime, our streets, homes and places of work are safer. And international research has shown that offenders who go through a restorative justice process are less likely to reoffend than offenders who have spent time in prison.” He also said, “We have been in more and more discussions with the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs on a number of these issues.”

In a message sent to the conference today, the Honourable Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Mr. Anisul Huq mentioned – “We are seriously looking at effective methods for dispute resolution to reduce our backlog and future case load. The Restorative Justice procedure is a promising alternative for us to explore.”

Ms. Sarah Cooke, Country Representative, DFID Bangladesh, highlighted the cooperation between the UK government and Bangladesh. She said, “The UK government fully recognises the importance of security and justice work and its impact on overall development. I expect the conference will contribute in raising awareness about restorative justice and identify the changes needed to happen in Bangladesh.”

“Looking at the huge amount of pending cases in court it is necessary to think of new approaches. Restorative Justice, where possible and applicable, might be one option to restore peace and justice in due course – and not only after years. Furthermore, it gives offenders and victims alike the possibility to actively take part in the restoration process.” said Dr. Ferdinand von Weyhe, Chargé d’Affaires, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The conference was organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs and German Development Cooperation (GIZ) under the project “Improvement of the Real Situation of Overcrowding in Prisons (IRSOP)”. The Institute of Social Welfare and Research, Dhaka University is co-hosting the conference. The project is supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and by the UK Department for International Development (DFID).

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NGO News Report ::

The training was jointly organised by the Prison Directorate of Bangladesh and Improvement of the Real Situation of Overcrowding in Prisons in Bangladesh (IRSOP), a joint project of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the UK Department for International Development (DFID). 15 prison officials attended the training including the Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Senior Jail Super, Jail Super, Assistant Surgeon and Jailors.

The objective of the training was to develop a group of trainers with the basic skills, information and expertise needed to deliver effective experience-based training workshops on the topics included in the training programme of the prison directorate. International consultant Mr Hans H Wahl facilitated the ToT according to international standards and covered major topics related to good prison management, dynamic security and legal assistance.

Brigadier General Syed Iftekhar Uddin, Inspector General (IG) of Prisons, attended the certificate-giving ceremony as the Chief Guest. Ms Promita Sengupta, Programme Coordinator, GIZ, was also present at the ceremony.

The trainees said that the ToT increased their knowledge of key theoretical principles, how to design a training, as well as related skills on topics such as meeting management, group dynamics and effective communication.

In his closing remarks the IG of Prisons mentioned, “Participants who attended this ToT will return to the Bangladesh Prisons Department and achieve a huge impact with what they have learnt. If the culture, management and rewards system support the necessary behavioral change, then the trainees will be able to apply what they have learnt.”

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NGO News Report

The event was attended by youth from across the country who will participate in the GP’s first capacity development course, senior officials of ActionAid and media.

Introducing the Global Platform to the audience Leah Gaffney, Manager of the Global Platform said “we are excited to welcome inspiring young people to the platform today, to create opportunities for learning and collaboration, to bring about social change together”.

The Training of Trainers Course will be the first to be held at the Global Platform in Dhaka and will be attended by 19 young women and men who are actively engaged in taking action and working in their communities.

Md. Samsuddoha Sadi from Chilahati, Nilphamari – one of the many participants of the first Training of Trainers Course offered by the GP noted; “With the skills I gain from this training, I hope I will be able to better connect with my peers to carry forward our work on stopping child marriage in our community”.

The Global Platform in line with ActionAid’s mandate seeks to promote young people into positions of leadership and decision making through providing the necessary tools, skills and connections. It will provide contextualised capacity development opportunities especially targeting young women and men in their communities to affect change.

The GP venue in Dhaka is a residential training centre which has 2 training rooms, accommodation for 24 persons and is also equipped with recreation and media facilities. When not in use for capacity development courses, the GP can be rented by external organisations.

Addressing the audience, Farah Kabir, Country Director of ActionAid Bangladesh, mentioned that the very nature of the organisation, its personality and characteristics are youthful. She further elaborated that youth are continuously developing, evolving and transforming the nature of the organisation’s engagement with them and their communities. In essence, youth assist in fashioning and having the courage of conviction to challenge poverty and injustice.

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NGO News Desk ::

The UO in its monthly publication notes that expenditure on health and education in Bangladesh is quite low vis-à-vis other developing countries. Allocation for non-development expenditure on both sectors comprises the large portion of the total allocation resulting in inadequate allocation for development expenditure. In addition, poor implementation status of Annual Development Programme (ADP) in the Ministry of Health and Family Planning and the Ministry of Education poses challenge to the development of these two sectors.

In view of the current challenges in the development of health and education sectors, the think tank finds three major issues that characterize the two sectors. These are – structural inequality emanating from socioeconomic differentials, lack of universal coverage in the provision of social services, and social inequality due to citizens’ lack of access to social services.

The research organisation says that Bangladesh lags behind other developing countries in accumulating public spending adequately to provide its citizens with necessary social services while the allocations for social sectors, particularly education and health, as percentage of total programme expenditure have been on the decline in recent years.

Statistics suggest that for education and technology, the budget allocation has declined by 1.5 percentage point and been proposed as 11.6 percent of the total budget outlay in FY 2015-16 compared to 13.1 percent in FY 2014-15. Allocation for health also declined by 0.1 percentage point from 4.4 percent of the total budget in FY 2014-15 to 4.3 percent in FY 2015-16.

The think tank finds that Bangladesh lags behind other developing countries in regard to health expenditure as percentage of GDP. In 2013, the actual allocation for health in Bangladesh stood at only 3.7 percent, whereas it was 4 percent in India, 6 percent in Vietnam, 6 percent in Nepal, 7.5 percent in Cambodia, and 10.8 percent in Maldives.

Consequently the per capita health expenditure is also quite low in Bangladesh vis-à-vis the other developing economies. For instance, the per capita health expenditure in Bangladesh stood at USD 32 while it was USD 61 in India, USD 111 in Vietnam, USD 39 in Nepal, USD 76 in Cambodia, and USD 720 in Maldives.

The UO further demonstrates that the out-of-pocket health expenditure as percentage of private expenditure on health is much higher in Bangladesh than in other developing countries. In 2013, the out-of-pocket health expenditure as percentage of private expenditure on health was 93 percent in Bangladesh compared to 85.9 percent in India, 85 percent in Vietnam, 81.4 percent in Nepal, 75.1 percent in Cambodia, and 88.3 percent in Maldives.

The research organisation evinces that in 2013, the public spending stood at 32.21 percent of GDP in the developing and emerging economies, whereas Bangladesh accumulated only 16.79 percent of its GDP as public spending. The volume of public spending is far lower in Bangladesh than in its two neighboring countries – India and Myanmar, whose public spending as percentage of GDP reached 27.26 percent and 27.18 percent respectively in 2013.

Statistics suggest that the actual allocations as percentage of the total programme expenditure for education and technology were 17.1 percent, 16.9 percent, 18.6 percent, 18.4 percent, 16.6 percent, and 16.1 percent in FY08, FY09, FY10, FY11, FY12, and FY13 respectively. In FY14, the revised allocation stood at 16.3 percent, whereas in FY15, the budgeted allocation stood at 15.6 percent. Projection says that the allocations may stand at 15.5 and 15.6 percent in FY16 and FY17 respectively.

The think tank demonstrates that the actual allocations for health as percentage of the total programme expenditure were 7.2 percent, 7.1 percent, 7.3 percent, 7.1 percent, 6.6 percent, and 6.4 percent in FY08, FY09, FY10, FY11, FY12, and FY13 respectively. In FY14, the revised allocation stood at 5.7 percent, whereas in FY15, the budgeted allocation stood at 5.3 percent. Projection suggests that the allocations may stand at 5.3 and 5.4 percent in FY16 and FY17 respectively.

Referring to the substantial gap between the allocations of non-development and development budget for health and education, the think tank shows that in FY 2015-16, Tk. 66.81 billion has been allocated as non-development expenditure on health compared to Tk. 53.24 as development expenditure. In the same vein, Tk. 200.44 billion has been allocated as non-development expenditure on education and technology in FY 2015-16, whereas development expenditure has stood at Tk. 121.26 billion.

Noting the poor implementation status of ADP in health and education sectors, the think tank finds that during July’14 – May’15 period of FY 2014-15, the implementation of revised ADP has been only 56 percent in the ministry of health and family planning and 64 percent in the ministry of education.

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NGO News Desk :: 

Job Title: Team Lead, Operations

Location: Washington, DC

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following.  IIE may add, change, or remove essential and other duties at any time.

Scholar Exchanges Operations

• Responsible for the overall structure and day-to-day processes of the department’s Scholar Exchanges Operations unit and team members. Activities of the unit include application and selection processes and systems management; oversight of participant management strategies and self-service interactions by participants and external clients; quality assurance strategies, data management and reporting; and monitoring and evaluation.
• Ensure the highest levels of business practices are in place and continually monitor workflows and Set functional processes and procedures for team members to follow. Create strategies to improve them where possible.
• Determine project operational strategies and training needs by conducting needs assessments, reviewing and creating capacity plans, and maximizing resource utilization; contribute information and analysis to divisional strategic plans and reviews.
• Analyzes current practices and provides recommendations to maximize efficiencies as part of a continual improvement
• Coordinate the operational implementation of project tasks across the Scholar Exchanges business units, as well as other IIE
• Design and develop project operation components and processes for new business
• Represent division and IIE generally at internal and external meetings; act as contact with IIE sponsors, as
• Work with Executive Director and Finance Manager to develop and monitor budgets related to a project’s
• Travel within the US, as
• Responsible for complying with applicable contract and sponsor requirements and following all IIE policies and procedures
• Performs other duties and functions as

• Manage and lead a team of
• Prioritize, organize, distribute and coordinate the flow of Assess workload based on priorities and level of complexity.
• Guide individual performance via timely feedback and Make recommendations to Executive Director concerning employment, termination, performance evaluations, salary actions, and other personnel actions.
• Train team on all policy and program updates; identify appropriate training and development

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree Degree in Business Administration, Industrial Engineering, Library and Information Science, Public Administration, or not-for-profit management a plus.
• Minimum five years of program management experience and at least four years relevant experience in international higher education exchange
• At least two years of supervisory experience required
• Experience working on a scholarship program or grant management in order to understand the program lifecycle and to drive efficient
• Experience with developing systems, processes, and procedures in order to achieve high quality

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

1. Strong critical thinking skills, using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to
2. Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work well within a diverse team environment.
3. Ability to supervise, direct workflow, guide, and mentor
4. Ability to demonstrate flexibility in dealing with difficult or unpleasant circumstances, or adjusting to changing conditions, in order to meet job requirements.
5. Ability to maintain excellent standards of quality as a primary organizational
6. Ability to follow established guidelines, policies, and procedures in order to ensure
7. Strong service orientation, actively looking for ways to help people.
8. Demonstration of strong time management skills, managing one’s time and the time of
9. Demonstration of active learning, understanding the implications of new information for problem- solving and decision-making.
10. Ability to instruct and teach others on how to do something, selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures as
11. Excellent verbal and written communication

Work Environment and Physical Demands: Essential functions are typically performed in an office setting with a low level of noise. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Please apply online at: https://iie.hua.hrsmart.com/hrsmart/ats/Posting/view/1397

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NGO News Report

Presided over by Md. Sabur Khan, Chairman, Daffodil International School & Daffodil Group the function was also addressed by Deep Adhikari, Director Examination, British Council Bangladesh, Sanjeev Ganeshan, Business Development Manager, South Asia, NCC Education UK, Mohammad Nuruzzaman, Executive Director of Daffodil Education Network, Rathindra Nath Das, Director of DIIT, Sahana Khan, Principal of DIS and Rahima K Rosemarry, Senior Vice Principal of DIS. Principals and representatives of various English medium schools were present on the occasion along with teachers, students, guardians and journalists.

Addressing as the chief guest Dr. Hossain Zilliur Rahman said, vision, quality, standard, environment and commitment are the main source of producing quality students and mindset is very important and pre-requisite for this. As a part of globalized world, we may be of different nationalities, appearances, color and linguistics but, we must have to think of global standards and no compromise with standard for maintaining quality, he added.

Md. Sabur Khan, Chairman Daffodil International School in his presidential speech said, now a day, without technology life is simply impossible. Every moment technology is changing and new generation requires keeping pace with the technological renovations and adaptation to become a global citizen and Daffodil International School has taken the initiative and challenge of launching Digi-NCC, UK program to prepare its students as global standard to face the challenges of 21st century.

NCC Education is a leading UK awarding body in IT and Business, providing assessment and certification through recognized British qualifications. NCC Education aims to deliver a fresh and highly relevant suite of qualifications targeted at young learners in Primary and early Secondary Education.

Daffodil International School became an approved centre of NCC Education and is extremely glad to launch Digi, NCC Education that provides advanced lessons to the students along with their regular academic curriculum and educates them to become the ICT Leaders of Tomorrow. The Program concluded with a short cultural performance presented by the students of Daffodil International School.

The post DIS launched Digi, NCC Education, UK in Bangladesh appeared first on NGO News, Latest NGO News, Fund for NGO, NGO News Update.

Applications opened on 1 February and close at 5pm (respective local time) on 30 April 2015, Thursday.

Further information on the Australia Award Scholarships, including eligibility requirements and the application process is available in the attached brochure and at this link https://australiaawardssouthwestasia.org/how-to-apply
If you have any further queries, please kindly contact Mr Vishwanathan Tiruchirappalli, Senior Program Manager at the Australian High Commission, New Delhi, at [email protected]

Water stress is projected to increase significantly across South and West Asia due to increasing demand and climate change. More than 750 million poor people rely on the region’s three major rivers – the Ganges, Indus and Brahmaputra – for their livelihoods and food security. Climate variability is expected to exacerbate the existing pressure on water resources resulting from growing populations and economic development.. Australia stands ready to share its experience in managing water for scarcity and is committed to help strengthen government agencies and technical institutions in the region through capacity building and sharing Australian experiences and technology in Water Resource Management.

Australia Awards Scholarships – Awards for Study in Water Resource Management The Australia Awards in South and West Asia is offering scholarships for Master’s level study in Water Resource Management in Australia commencing in January 2016. The Australia Award Scholarships will be available for:

• Master’s by coursework or research in Water Resource Management.

• Applicants from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan will be eligible to apply for the 2016 intake.

• Open to government and non-government nominees. The Awards are particularly targeted at eligible applicants working on river-basin scale water resource management issues in South and/or West Asia.

How to Apply

Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements detailed in the Scholarships Policy Handbook, available at: https://aid.dfat.gov.au/Publications/Pages/scholar-handbook.aspx. In particular, all applicants must submit an employer nomination letter from their organisation/agency together with their application. In addition, applicants must also meet the country-specific requirements. For details see the Country Profiles for Intake 2016 available at the following sites: Bangladesh www.australiaawardsbangladesh.org Bhutan www.australiaawardsbhutan.org India www.australiaawardsindia.org Nepal www.australiaawardsnepal.org Pakistan www.australiaawardspakistan.org

Study Programs

An applicant’s proposed study program must be at Master’s level with a maximum duration of two years and related to Water Resource Management. The program may be offered by coursework, by research or by a combination of coursework and research. Masters by research or a combination of coursework and research are generally only to those applicants who have demonstrated the need for high-level research skills in order to undertake research or teaching or to supervise researchers upon their return home.

Applicants will be assessed on how their proposed course of study:

• relates to the development needs of the region and/or their home country in the area of Water Resource Management; and

• their potential to contribute to development outcomes in the region and/or their country in the area of Water Resource Management. As specified above, the Awards are particularly targeted at eligible applicants working on river-basin scale water resource management issues in South and/or West Asia.

Applicants may select an Australian Master’s Program specifically related to Water Resource Management or any other Master’s courses provided they can clearly demonstrate the course’s alignment to Water Resource Management challenges in the region and/or their home country. Such courses may be in fields such as Diplomacy, Environment, Environmental Management and Development, Environmental Law, Environmental Science, Engineering, Sustainability, Sustainable Development, Applied Science, Climate Change, Natural Resources Management, Rural Development, and Agricultural Science.

Note that Scholarships are available only for courses that are listed on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) [https://cricos.deewr.gov.au], which is the official Australian Government website that lists all Australian education providers that offer courses to people studying in Australia on student visas.

Further information Further information about the Australia Awards can be found at: https://aid.dfat.gov.au/australia-awards/Pages/default.aspx Information about visas and Australia Awards Scholarship entitlements and conditions can be found in the Scholarships Policy Handbook, available at: https://aid.dfat.gov.au/Publications/Pages/scholar-handbook.aspx More general information about the Australia Awards and studying in Australia can be found at: www.australiaawards.gov.au https://aid.dfat.gov.au/Pages/home.aspx https://studyinaustralia.gov.au Inquiries

Bangladesh [email protected]

Bhutan

[email protected]

India

[email protected]

Nepal

[email protected]

Pakistan [email protected]

The post Australia Awards Scholarships in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan 2016 appeared first on NGO News, Latest NGO News, Fund for NGO, NGO News Update.

NGO News Report ::

Reporting to the Founder and Executive Director Gary Slutkin, MD and serving as an integral member of the senior management team, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) will be responsible for the development of Cure Violence’s financial and management strategies and contribute to the development of the organizations strategic goals. Additionally, the COO will be responsible for establishing a business development strategy, utilizing personal and business contacts alike, to create corporate partnerships and strategic alliances. A key focus of the COO will be the execution of the transition to an NGO structure, while maintaining the appropriate structure in place with the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Currently, Cure Violence operates completely within the UIC, School of Public Health. The successful candidate must be a mission-focused, seasoned, strategic and process-minded leader with experience in scaling an organization, leading a management team, and developing a performance-focused culture among a group of diverse and talented individuals. The successful COO will have the skills, sensitivity and ability to tap into the power that each member of the team brings to this mission and retain the creative spark that drives the Cure Violence concept.

Key functions that report directly to the COO include the Program offices for US and global operations, Finance & Administration, Research Operations, and Human Resources/Organizational Development. The ideal candidate will have 10+ years of executive-level experience building relationships with foundations, NGOs, corporate philanthropy, government entities, public health organizations, and donors. S/he will have senior management experience with responsibility for national and/or international organization development including the ability to plan and implement to scale. Key functional knowledge is desired in: information systems, HR, strategic development and planning, budgeting, business analysis, and marketing.

For fullest consideration, interested candidates may upload a resume and letter of interest at https://jobs.uic.edu by February 27, 2015. The University of Illinois at Chicago is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer. Minorities, women, veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Apply Here: https://www.Click2Apply.net/k3mbdrs

The post Chief Operating Officer Seeking Cure Violence appeared first on NGO News, Latest NGO News, Fund for NGO, NGO News Update.

NGO News Report :: 

Primary and Mass Education Minister Mostafizur Rahman divulged the information on Saturday in Dhaka at a function marking the launch of a study report of Save the Children.

The function was told that the classrooms have been equipped with laptops, projectors and Internet modems, and the teachers imparted training on use of the classroom facilities for enhancing teaching and learning.

The study report titled ‘Mapping ICT in Education Initiatives in Bangladesh’ has documented the ICT initiatives in education by the government, local and international NGOs and the private sector throughout Bangladesh.

The minister said though the government has firm commitment to improve quality of education, expected results cannot be attained due to ‘lack of sincerity’ of different quarters involved in the sector.

The study found that ICT is being used, to some extent, for e-content development, teacher training, web portal creation for e-content sharing and teachers’ networking, and also in community learning centres for underprivileged groups.

But it is not being widely used to support student assessment, e-learning, programme monitoring and evaluation.

Primary and Mass Education Ministry Joint Secretary Faizul Kabir, Policy Advisor to Access to Information (a2i) Programme at PMO Anir Chowdhury, and Save the Children Program Development and Quality Director Sharon Hauser and Senior Education Adviser M Habibur Rahman, among others, spoke on the occasion. Representatives of local and international NGOs and private organizations and government officials also attended the ceremony.

According to Save the Children, the information gathered in the study will help exploration and review of the ICT in education with a view to guiding strategic thinking about the use of technology in Bangladesh’s education sector.

The post Multimedia classrooms at over 22,000 schools appeared first on NGO News, Latest NGO News, Fund for NGO, NGO News Update.

NGO News Report ::

The FT has placed MGSM’s MBA program at number one in Australia (68 globally), followed by UNSW’s Australian Graduate School of Management (75) and Melbourne Business School (90).

According to Professor Alex Frino, Dean of MGSM, who joined the school in July 2013, the outstanding result reflects the school’s increased emphasis on alumni engagement, as well the structural improvements made to its MBA program.

“We have made significant innovations to our MBA program by increasing our number of global partnerships with leading institutions, attracting the best financial, business, management and leadership minds to our school and producing world-first research,” said Professor Frino.

“We are also offering more internships, living case studies with multinational corporations and attracting leading thinkers from CEOs to Nobel laureates to ensure our students are continually exposed to the leading ideas, theory and practice in management education,” Frino said.

The FT rankings are determined by evaluating a number of factors including the gender balance and international spread of students as well as a student’s pre and post MBA salary.

“Increased engagement with alumni and building a truly connected community across our 16,500 graduates, both in Australia and overseas, is a reason for the result.

“We are committed to providing our students with the very best opportunities which sets them up to achieve at the highest levels in their post-MBA career.”

“Launched in 2014, our Women in MBA program, which sets out to achieve gender balance in our MBA cohort, has been pivotal to our success by offering greater diversity in the classroom environment.”

“The result gives us every reason to be proud of our School,” said Professor Frino.

The post Financial Times Ranks MGSM’s MBA Number One in Australia, 68 in the World appeared first on NGO News, Latest NGO News, Fund for NGO, NGO News Update.

NGO News Report

Tenacious anti corporal punishment crusader Sir Frank Peters agreed to perform the official opening after headmaster Mohsin Hasan, and the entire teaching staff, vowed never to inflict corporal punishment on a pupil.

In his speech, he said: “The very foundation of the nation is built on schools just like this; modest in their appearance, but magical in their awesome power. These are the mental gyms where young developing minds are exercised and prepared for universities and far beyond,” he said.

Sir Frank emphasized that at every stage of their development, children should be encouraged and motivated to think and act positively in all that they do and no space be given in their precious minds to harbouring negative, worthless, self-destructive thoughts.

 “A teacher’s task is to foster learning which is best done in a happy, fun-place-to-be environment and the greatest gift any teacher can give a student is encouragement, appreciation, respect and never to belittle their efforts,” he said.

“Most students are not of Albert Einstein intellect, but some could become Prime Minister, Opposition Leader, Mark Zuckerberg, or the Bill Gates of the future. Who’s to say? Encouragement and appreciation of effort are the essential ‘greens’ for the mind every child must be given both generously and regularly to make their minds develop.

“Opening a corporal punishment free school to serve the best interests of the pupils and Bangladesh is intensely rewarding for me,” concluded Sir Frank. 

The post New school vows no corporal punishment appeared first on NGO News, Latest NGO News, Fund for NGO, NGO News Update.

NGO News Report :: 

Bangladesh joins the Global Partnership with its Third Primary Education Development Program which aims to make the pre-primary and primary education system efficient, inclusive and equitable by delivering child-friendly learning.

“We welcome Bangladesh to the Global Partnership for Education. We confirm our commitment to working with the Government and its partners to ensure that all Bangladeshi children receive a quality basic education, including the most marginalized,” said Alice Albright, Chief Executive Officer of the Global Partnership for Education.

“I am delighted that Bangladesh is now a member of the Global Partnership for Education and look forward to their helping build on the success of providing primary education to all children in Bangladesh,” said Mostafizur Rahman, Bangladesh’s Minister of Primary and Mass Education. “I hope this new partnership will bring meaningful reform in the primary education sector for time to come,” he added.

Bangladesh’s Third Primary Education Development Program 2011-2017 is implemented under the leadership of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education. It lays out a clear roadmap for progress in the education sector going forward.

The development of this program has been supported by the Education Local Consultative Group comprising several ministries, civil society partners and development partners, including the Asian Development Bank, Australian Agency for International Development, Canadian International Development Agency, Department for International Development, European Union, Japan, Swedish International Development Agency, UNICEF, and the World Bank.

The strategic vision of the Primary Education Development Program 2011-2017 includes:

• All children acquire expected grade-wise and subject-wise learning outcomes or competencies in the classroom.
• All children participate in pre-primary and primary education in all types of schools
• Regional and other disparities will be reduced in terms of participation, completion and learning outcomes

The Global Partnership for Education is made up of 60 developing country governments, as well as donor governments, civil society/non-governmental organizations, teacher organizations, international organizations, and private sector organizations and foundations, whose joint mission is to galvanize and coordinate a global effort to provide a good quality education to children, prioritizing the poorest and most vulnerable.

The post Bangladesh Becomes 60th Developing Country to Join the GPE appeared first on NGO News, Latest NGO News, Fund for NGO, NGO News Update.

NGO News Report :: 

That’s the warning by more than a thousand organisations around the world which are launching a new campaign called action/2015 calling on local and world leaders to take urgent action to halt man-made climate change, eradicate poverty and address inequality.

The new calculation released by the action/2015 coalition shows that, even using relatively conservative scenarios,  the number of people living in extreme poverty – on less than $1.25 a day – could be reduced dramatically from over a billion to 360 million by 2030. Based on work by the University of Denver, in the year 2030, about 4 % of the global population would live in extreme poverty, (compared to 17% today) if critical policy choices on inequality, poverty investment and climate change are made this year and implemented thereafter.  Estimates of other researchers, looking at a longer list of variables, show that the eradication of extreme poverty is achievable for the first time in history – a key objective of the campaign.

However, if leaders fail to deliver and build on the growing momentum for ambitious deals at the UN Special Summit on Sustainable Development in September and the UN Climate talks in Paris in December, and scale back their efforts, the number of people living in extreme poverty could actually increase to 1.2 billion by 2030. This increase would be the first in a generation (since 1993) and almost a billion higher (886million) than if resolute action is taken. Under this scenario 1 in 3 of the world’s population would live under $2 a day.

Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Malala Fund co-founder, who put her life on the line for the right to education said;

‘People globally want an end to injustice, poverty and illiteracy. Our world is interconnected and youth are ready and mobilised more than ever to see real change take place. Together, we are demanding our leaders take action in 2015 and we must all do our part. I will continue to work tirelessly to call on world leaders to seize this opportunity to guarantee a free, quality primary and secondary education for every child. That is my goal and I hope that my voice will be heard as it is the voice of millions of children who want to go to school.’

Alongside Malala, dozens of high profile activists from Queen Rania Al Abdullah and Bono to Ben Affleck, Bill and Melinda Gates and Mo Ibrahim have backed the coalition of over a thousand organisations in more than 120 countries around the world. The campaign is calling on world leaders to agree plans to eradicate poverty, prevent dangerous climate change and tackle inequality at these summits.

action/2015 – announced by Malala when she accepted the Nobel Peace Prize – is one of the biggest campaigns ever to launch – combining environmental, human rights, development organisations and faith networks. From household names like Amnesty International and Save the Children to grassroots NGOs working with local communities, the movement aims to make sure the agreements of 2015 are shaped by the people.

Speaking for action/2015, Amitabh Behar, Indian anti-poverty activist said:

“If we get this wrong, we could see the number of people living in poverty increase for the first time in our generation. But if we get it right – tackle poverty, inequality and climate change – we could eradicate extreme poverty within a generation. With two summits of this importance within just months of each other, 2015 could be one of the most important years for our planet since the end of the Second World War, but only if we rise to the occasion.”

At part of the launch, activities are taking place in more than 50 countries all around the world from Lebanon and Liberia to Nigeria and Norway to South Africa and Sri Lanka.  Many of these are spearheaded by 15 year olds – a constituency who will be among the most affected by the agreements:

• In Bolivia, three coordinated rallies in Laz Paz will bring together younger and older people, each one representing one of the core issues of the campaign – climate change, inequality and poverty.
• In Costa Rica, young people will take to their bicycles to raise the profile of the campaign in a cycle rally which will deliver the message of the campaign to leaders and the public.
• In India, young people are meeting their leaders in 15 states and over 150 districts to deliver their messages of hope for 2015.
• In New York, the Secretary- General of the United Nations Ban Ki- moon will meet a group of 15 year olds to discuss why we need global action in 2015.
• In Nigeria, 15 year olds will present their hopes for the future to Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at a live concert;
• In Norway, a delegation of 15 year old campaigners from across the country will meet with Prime Minister Erna Solberg to challenge her to play her part in the summits and secure a safer future for people and planet in 2015;
• In Tanzania, 15 year olds will meet Vice President Mohamed Gharib Bilal to discuss their aspirations for the future and the action they want from political leaders in 2015;
• In Uganda young people will challenge the Speaker of Parliament to listen to their demands when they hand over a petition signed by over 10,000 young people;
• In the UK, some of Britain’s leading youth activists will meet Prime Minister David Cameron and Ed Miliband, the Leader of the Opposition, to urge them to seize the opportunities of 2015.

Speaking about why she got involved in the campaign, Maryam, a Nigerian child rights activist, who will turn 15 this year said:

“By 2030 I will be an adult, and may have children of my own. My generation might not be the ones making decisions today, but we will be the ones to make sure that our leaders take full responsibility for the actions they take this year. I and thousands like me are demanding they make the right choices, because our future is at stake. We ask that they make choices which are dictated by the needs of future generations and not choices that are dictated by short-term politics.”

Debora Souza, a Brazilian campaigner for action/2015 said:

“The world has tested and proven strategies which have successfully lifted millions out of poverty, and the global transition from the dirty fuels driving climate change to 100% clean renewables is already under way. Now it’s up to governments to accelerate those positive trends and make 2015 the year that brings the world closer to a safe and prosperous future for everybody.”

action/2015 is calling on the public to join them in their calls to ensure world leaders commit to a better world.  Throughout 2015, the campaign will provide ways for everyone everywhere to get involved in influencing the outcomes of these global debates that could achieve:

∑        An end to poverty in all its forms;

∑        The meeting of fundamental rights, tackling inequality and discrimination;

∑        An accelerated transition to 100% renewable energy;

∑        A world where everyone can participate and hold their leaders accountable.

 There are few important points below:

• The ‘almost 1 billion lives’ figure is calculated from best and worst scenarios based on different actions that could be taken affecting inequality, climate change, growth, aid and social investment. These variables are computed by the International Futures model developed at the Frederick S. Pardee Center for International Futures at the University of Denver.
• Under the best case scenario the number of people living in poverty could be reduced to 360m (4%) by 2030. In the worst case scenario the number of people living in poverty could increase to 1.2 billion, a difference of 886million.

 Additional examples of national activities:

• Around the world people will take to the streets in rallies and marches to demand action – including Liberia, Mauritius, Nigeria, Indonesia, Uganda, Belgium, El Salvador, Costa Rica and many more
• Bangladesh: A rally of over 1000 bicyclists will carry messages of the campaign to the Bangladesh Parliament before young people form a human chain around the building to make their demand for action in 2015;
• Lebanon: A human chain of a ‘15’ will be created in downtown Beirut.
• South Africa: In Soweto, 15 year olds will gather to urge their leaders to take action. In live broadcasts with well-known celebrities they will speak about their hopes for the future;

 If you need more information about this topic you can visit: www.action2015.org

The post A billion lives hang in the balance at crucial summits in New York & Paris appeared first on NGO News, Latest NGO News, Fund for NGO, NGO News Update.

To comply with our needs JUCC is going to arrange a training session for the students at first time. Training will conduct by Career Stride Bangladesh. We also provide participant a certificate after successfully completion of the training. This exclusive training is only for the 4^th year students and fresh graduates.

Date: 2 January 2015

Time: 9:00-5:30

No. of Participants:  40

Content will be covered –

1. What is career planning & why it is important?
2. Stages of career planning
3. Self development
4.What do you know about yourself & how can you learn more?
5. The career wheel
6. Career planning- Real world experiences
7.Stat your career planning journey
8.Exploring options
9.How can you learn about the job market ?
10. Career research worksheet
11.Career opportunities
12.Exploration- What are the different ways of working?
13. Self making decisions
14.How can you decide your career?
15. Career decisions making chart
16. Identifying strengths and barriers
17.Scenario of planning
18.Setting goals
19.How do you set goals?
20. 5 rules implementing in your plan- How you can take action?

## Methodologies
1. Brainstorming and group discussions
2. Role play and games
3. PowerPoint  presentations
4. Video presentations
5. Case studies
6. Interactive lecturers
7. Practice sessions

The post Career & Self Development Training Program at Jahangirnagar University appeared first on NGO News, Latest NGO News, Fund for NGO, NGO News Update.

Around 150 teachers and student under the banner of Indigenous Student Association of JU brought ought a protest procession which was started at 10 am in front of olds arts building and terminated at Amar Ekusha Premises followed by a rally.

Speaking on the rally, the national committee to protect oil, gas, mineral resources, power and ports member secretary, Anu Muhammad also the professor of Economics department of JU, said the repeated attacks on the hilly people and subsequent government reactions to the incidents proved that the ‘government itself is behind these attacks.’

Speakers also demanded exemplary punishment of those who launched attacks on hilly people and vandalised and set on fire about 50 houses of the hilly people in Rangamati’s Bagachhari on December 16.

Among them assistant prof. Himel Baralat and Md Mamunur Rashid of Bangla department, associate professor Md.Masud Imran of Archeology departments and assistant professor. Rezwana Karim Snigdha  Anthropology also spoke on the rally.

The post JU protest against the attack on hilly peoples appeared first on NGO News, Latest NGO News, Fund for NGO, NGO News Update.

1)      PROJECT CYCLE
MANAGEMENT – 11TH – 14TH FEBRUARY 2014

2)      GRANT MANAGEMENT – 19TH – 21ST FEBRUARY 2014

3)      PROCUREMENT AND SUPPLY CHAIN
MANAGEMENT- 26TH – 28TH FEBRUARY 2014

4)      GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT – 26TH –
28TH FEBRUARY 2014

Workshop Organizers
Capacity Africa Institute (www.capacityafrica.com) is an organization that
was in 1999 to promote quality capacity building
among development professionals and communities in Africa. The
organization currently  runs  training programmes  in Kenya,
Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo and South
Sudan training over three thousand development workers in the last
thirteen  years.We have collaborated very closely with Action Aid Kenya,
Unicef Kenya Country Office, Undp Kenya, Unifem East Africa, Population
Services International, World Health Organization, Ministry of Health,
Federation of Women Lawyers-FIDA,  Amref, National Council for Population
and Development, Nation Media Group ,Shell Kenya and Shell International,
Path, Techno serve,  One Love One World, National Aids Control Council,
Center for British Teachers, JRS Sudan, Christian Mission Aid, Sudanese
Red Cross, Mercy Corps International, Tear Fund, Oxfam GB, Haki Kazi, ADRA
South Sudan Sector Programme among others.

WORKSHOP 1: PROJECT CYCLE
MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP FROM THE  11TH TO 14TH OF FEBRUARY 2014

The course is designed to help participants to:

*      Understand key aspects of  project design,
planning, implementation, administration and Monitoring and Evaluation
*      Understand ways to design, implement, monitor and
evaluate projects
*      Educate Learners  on how to link a logical
framework and translate it into a concise and transparent budget and a
simple
work plan
*      Use the logical framework to design an effective
monitoring and
evaluation system for tracking and reporting results for their individual
organizations
*      Understand best practices techniques for project
management, Monitoring and Evaluation

PROJECT CYCLE MANAGEMENT COURSE
CONTENT

*      What is Project Cycle Management?
*      Overview of Project Initiation, Planning,
Implementation, Control and Close out.
*      Scheduling and planning to ensure targets are
accomplished timely.
*      Project Budgeting
*      Work plan Development
*        The logical framework approach
*          Designing a Project Goal
*        Outcomes/  Output/Activities
*            Indicators
*            Evidence and Risk analysis
*            Assumption/ Pre-conditions / Risks

Monitoring and Evaluation Course
Content

*      Introduction to monitoring and evaluation terms and
concepts
*      Difference between monitoring and evaluation
*      The need for monitoring and evaluation in development
projects
*      Monitoring in all process of the  project cycle
*      Types of indicators and  Identifying outcome
indicators for your project  Monitoring and Evaluation Framework
*      Types of Frameworks
*      Role of in Monitoring and Evaluation planning
Introduction to Monitoring and Evaluation Plan
*      Functions of an M&E plan
*      The main elements of an M&E plan
*      Standards of  an M&E plan
*      Some of the complexities of M &E plan
*      Overview of M&E plan implementation modalities
Data Collection, Capture, and Data Quality Checks
*      Identify types of data collection tools
*      Identify type of tools at each M &E level
*      Define data capture
*      Identify key steps in data capture
*      Define data quality
*      Quantitative methods
*      Qualitative methods, Data Analysis, Interpretation and
Reporting
*      Role of data analysis in monitoring and evaluation
*      Types of data analysis
*      Interpretation of data
*      Deciding which reporting methods to use
*      Writing an effective M/E report

PROJECT  CYCLE MANAGEMENT TRAINING
WORKSHOP.
THE DATE: 11TH TO 14TH FEBRUARY 2014.
WORKSHOP VENUE: THE HENNESIS HOTEL, NAIROBI
FEES: KSHS. 50,000/- (USD 600) PER PERSON
WORKSHOP 2. GRANT MANAGEMENT
TRAINING – 19TH TO 21ST FEBRUARY 2014.

The job of Grants Management involves a difficult balancing act; ensuring
that project staffs have the latitude to accomplish something meaningful
and at
the same time every obligation of the funding source is met.  Depending on
the
operating style of your organization,
the complexity of the project and the nature of the funding source,
effective grants Management depend on certain core principles. These
principles are valuable in helping to build trust with your donors and
making
the management process in your organization more orderly. The purpose of
this
course is to build the confidence and skills of those responsible for
managing institutional donor grants and to meet donors’ financial terms
& conditions when implementing programs. Effective grant management by
project implementers can contribute to more funding for the organization.

Training Objectives

At the end of the course, participants will be able to:
a) Identify and understand the critical terms and conditions of grant
aid for donor-funded projects;
b) Ensure compliance with donor terms and conditions;
c) Providing supporting documents, correct procurement of goods and
services and meeting financial reporting requirements;
d) Managing multiple-funded programmes;
e) Prepare a donor financial report to match with a project narrative
report;
f) Describe the phases in the grant management cycle clarify key
responsibilities
and routines needed for successful grant management;
g) Identify the requirements for closing off a donor grant;
h) Manage the relationship with donors, head office and implementing
partners with greater confidence;
i) Appreciate that finance and programme staff must work closely for
Successful
grant management.

The following topics will be
covered:

Overview of Grants Management Cycle: Developing proposal, Budgeting
Types
of costs, Grant Award Contract, Types & contents, Group Exercise,
Award
Review, Fundraising Tips, Implementation, Compliance, Eligible and
ineligible costs, Cost Share/ Matching costs, Procurement Procedures,
Grant Tracking Tools, : Costs eligibility, administration, Programme
evaluation, Amendment time, costs, activities, partner, Grant Reporting,
Financial Documentation and Reporting, Exercise: Documentation, Internal
Controls; Audit, Narrative Reporting, Partnerships & consortia
management,
Donor Compliance, Personnel & Staff Issues (ethics) : Contracts, Time
sheets, Travel & Per diem: Itinerary, assigning, Assets &
Inventory
Management, Co-Financing & Multi- Donor Funding, Indirect Costs &
Contingencies, Close Out Procedures & the Final Tranche.

GRANT MANAGEMENT TRAINING
THE DATES: 19TH TO 21ST FEBRUARY 2014.
VENUE: HENESSIS HOTEL, NAIROBI
TRAINING COST: KSHS 40,000/ USD 500

WORKSHOP 3. PROCUREMENT &
SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT TRAINING – 26TH TO 28TH FEBRUARY
2014.

The training will provide procurement practitioners in both the public
and
corporate sectors with essential procurement skills required to perform
their functions effectively.

Who should attend?

Procurement officers and managers responsible for the procurement
function
in the public and private sectors. Also suppliers, service providers,
logistics, consultants and those in finance departments with an interest
in procurement.

By the end of the course participants will be able to:
*      Understand the role of procurement
*      Appreciate the principles and ethics of
procurement
*      Develop and write specifications
*      Manage risk in procurement

Procurement Course Content

*      Fundamentals of Procurement
*      Strategic Procurement
*      Tender Design
*      What is a Contract?
*      Contract management
*      Contract administration
*      Contract risks and disputes management
*      Maintaining long term Relationship with suppliers
*      Conflict resolution in supply chain
*      Supply chain risk Management
*      Procurement Circle and Procedures
*        Vulnerability management
*      Purchasing Strategies
*      Integrity in Procurement
*      Contract Management and Documentation
*      E-procurement
*      Procurement Audit
*      Compliance Monitoring
*      Procurement of Works and Dispute avoidance
*      Public Procurement Procedures

PROCUREMENT & SUPPLY CHAIN
MANAGEMENT TRAINING
THE DATES: 26TH TO 28TH FEBRUARY 2014.
VENUE:  HENNESSIS HOTEL, NAIROBI.
THE COST IS: KSHS 40,000/ USD 500 PER PERSON

WORKSHOP 4. GENDER AND
DEVELOPMENT TRAINING – 26TH TO 28TH FEBRUARY 2014

Overall Course Overview:

Whenever we
talk of development, it is generally assumed that societies’ quest for
material
advancement or improvement in so far as population growth, technology
acquisition, health betterment, educational progression and economic
achievement takes a straight line.
Looked at in this way, the phrase “gender and development” therefore wrongly
presupposes that participation of some members of the society in the
society’s
development project is “upon invitation” that is, either by selection or
election.
In this short course, however, gender is used as a focus of analyzing and
examining the historical processes that perpetuate inhibitive connotations
about gender and work that is how the measures and processes of development
(work) are gendered and the local or international existence of policies and
institutions championing gender justice among men and women.

Course Objectives:

By the end of
this short course, participants should be;
* Familiar with key analytic gender and development debates.
* Able to relate these debates to development theory, policy and
practice at local,
national and international levels.
* Able to comprehend and manipulate complex analytical gender
arguments.
* Capable to evaluate impact of development interventions
(policies, projects and
institutional reform) on gender equity and empowerment.
* Influence and intervene in community development projects at
every level of the
society

Course Outline:

The Course
Outline includes training in:-
* Introduction to Gender and Development
* Gender and Law
* Gender and Media
* Gender and Education
* Gender, Conflict and Peace

GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT TRAINING
THE DATES: 26TH TO 28TH FEBRUARY 2014.
VENUE:  HENNESSIS HOTEL, NAIROBI.
THE COST IS: KSHS 40,000/ USD 500 PER PERSON

Training Package Value for Money. Training will be facilitated by
professionals with hands on skills and great wealth of experience.
Participants coming from outside NAIROBI are requested to organize their
own accommodation and transport. We can however reserve accommodation
space for you at the training venue.

Kindly confirm your participation with:

Ms Pamela Walekhwa
The Training Coordinator
Capacity Africa Training Institute
Madonna House, Westlands Road, Nairobi.
Telephone: +254- 20- 4452674/ 4450937
Cell: + 254-721-776-449/724-010-191
[email protected]
www.capacityafrica.org

NB. Online and Distance Learning Courses offered on
www.capacitybuildingonline.com. Contact
[email protected]

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In his remarks Professor Yunus said that there is a need to bring human identity back to the business, defining business should be something that “will not do harm to people, will not do harm to planet, will not exploit people, will have no corruption and no deception”. Sharing his own experience, Professor Yunus said he is creating a space in conventional between business and philanthropy – which he terms as social business. This is dedicated to solve problems, not to make personal money.

Professor Yunus was invited to the lunch hosted by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, where he was asked to make comments by WEF founder Klaus Schwab. Professor Yunus briefed the PM about the Japanese companies doing social business including clothes retailing giant Uniqlo, explaining the concept to the PM.  Professor Yunus proposed  for Japan to dedicate huge dormant account funds in Japan, which lie unutilized,  towards creating a social business fund. PM Abe was very happy to hear about these ideas and particularly about Uniqlo’s involvement in social business

Professor Yunus participated in a high level meeting attended by UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon, World Bank President Jim Kim, moderated by US Vice President Al Gore on global climate change.

He was invited to have a meeting with Minister of International Trade and Industry of Malaysia Mustapa Mohammed to discuss the details of launching of social business fund in Malaysia. The Fund was announced by Honourable Prime Minister of Malaysia Mohammad Najib during the Social Business Summit in Kuala Lumpur in November 2013.

Professor Yunus also had meeting with noted actor of the “Bourne” films  and activist Matt Damon who has launched an organization called Water.org that seeks to bring clean water to remote parts of Africa and India where poorest people lack access. In his speech for Water.org at WEF, Damon said his work is inspired by Professor Yunus, whose work he has been following for many years.

He also had a special review meeting with the Prime Minister of Haiti Laurent Lamothe to review the ongoing social business being carried on the island nation by Yunus Social Business, particularly the progress of the  social business to reforest the island, for which his government has already allocated ten thousand hectares of land.

Professor Yunus had separate meetings with the CEOs of German airline Lufthansa, leading Swiss Bank UBS and investment bank Goldman Sachs and worked out plans for their initiatives in Social Business particularly focussing on youth unemployment in South European countries.

He addressed the Young Global Shapers, outstanding young people selected to by the Schwab Foundation who are chosen for leadership qualities already demonstrated in work that changes the world. Professor Yunus attended the board meeting of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs, of which he has been a founding member along with Klaus Schwab, Hilda Schwab and Queen Mathilde of Belgium.

In Wiesbaden, Germany he had a meeting with newly elected Mayor, Sven Gerich to review the social business programs of the city which declared itself as the Social Business City. Professor Yunus visited Brussels where he addressed a meeting of business leaders, academics, and students. A leading business family of Belgium expressed their intention to create a social business fund for Belgium.

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NGO News Report ::  About 7.5 lakh births could be minimised in the country each year by only eliminating child marriage, says a population expert.   “In Bangladesh, about 17 percent of girls get married before reaching 15 while most of them give birth to two children before reaching 18 years,” said country director of Population Council Dr Ubaidur Rob on Wednesday.

Dr Ubaidur came up with the view in his power-point marking the launching of State of World Population Report 2013. UNFPA Bangladesh organised the launching ceremony at Sonargaon Hotel in the capital.   This year the report focuses an important and emerging global concern – ‘Motherhood in Childhood: Facing the challenges of adolescent pregnancy’.   Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Ministry MM Neaz Uddin and officer-in-charge of UNFPA Bangladesh Pornchai Suchitta, among others, spoke on the occasion.

Dr Ubaidur said about 58 percent of adolescents by age of 19 begin childbearing while 51 percent have given birth, 7 percent get pregnant with first child and 8 percent have two children.   He said about 194 pregnant mother die while giving birth in every one lakh pregnant mother in the country. And most of them are adolescent mothers.   Today, there are about 580 million adolescent girls in the world. Four out of five of them live in developing countries. Bangladesh ranks third in the adolescent pregnancy in the world — highest in the Asia.   Dr Ubaidur said child marriage is highly prevalent in Khulna, Rangpur and Rajshahi regions due to social insecurity while Sylhet region is comparatively is in a better position as girls in the region get married at the age of 18.   He suggested investing in adolescent girls’ education and creating mass awareness about the worst consequence of early marriage to check child marriage in the country.

Pornchai Suchitta said adolescents comprise about half of the youth population of Bangladesh. “Adolescence is a critical time for many people and the skilled acquired during this period can set up the foundation of the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, it’s also a time when many young people are extremely vulnerable to risks due to their position in between childhood and adulthood,” he said.   He said while Bangladesh has made great stride in addressing many issues like malnourishment and child lobur, adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights must be given more attention.

Neaz Uddin stressed the need for educating people in society so that they can be aware of the consequences of child marriage and raise their voice to stop it.   Motherhood in childhood is a huge global problem, especially in developing countries, where every year 7.3 million girls under 18 give birth, says the State of World Population 2013 released by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund today.   Of these 7.3 million births, 2 million are to girls 14 or younger, who suffer the gravest long-term health and social consequences from pregnancy, including high rates of maternal death and obstetric fistula.

The report places particular emphasis on girls 14 and younger who are at double risk of maternal death and obstetric fistula.   Motherhood in childhood offers a new perspective on adolescent pregnancy, looking not only at the girls’ behaviour as a cause of early pregnancy, but also at the actions of their families, communities and governments.   According to the report, early pregnancy takes a toll on a girl’s health, education and rights. It also prevents her from realising her potential and adversely impacts the baby.

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The signing ceremony is to be followed by a three-day training course to master trainers who will be responsible for training the School Integrity Units in five districts: Rangpur, Mymensingh, Madaripur, Comilla and Gopalganj. A total of 52 people coming from a range of organizations including ACC district staff, teachers, members of Corruption Prevention Committees and NGO’s will be trained. The trainers will visit schools to sensitize and educate young people towards corruption and its negative effects. The philosophy follows the requirements of the Government National Integrity Strategy. The measure will be initially taken out in 50 schools in each of the five districts plus 60 more schools spread around the country.

Richard Miles, Principal Adviser of GIZ said “The National Integrity Strategy recognizes the importance of training young people about the consequences of corruption on Bangladesh. This training, supported by the ACC, will establish a core group of trainers who can help young people to avoid corruption and other evils they will encounter as they enter society as adults.”

Robin Davies, Director Partnerships and Programmes of the British Council said, “The British Council creates opportunity for young people worldwide to become global citizens, and our ‘Connecting Classrooms’ programme in Bangladesh follows this aspiration. We work closely with the Government to increase our reach to teachers and students across Bangladesh. This partnership with GIZ is a very timely and necessary initiative to engage the next generation of Bangladesh on issues around corruption and the values of global citizenship. The British Council is very privileged to work with ACC and GIZ in this important area.”

The project will run for an initial three years with a probability of extension beyond that period. Officials from the British Council and GIZ witnessed the MoU signing ceremony.

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Yunus Institute of Social Business based at Janusz Korczak Pedagogical University in Warsaw has created a Yunus Chair which, through its international position, will be an effective generator of the innovative social businesses aimed to solving important social problems, develop academic curricula and research around social business, in collaboration with Yunus Centre, Bangladesh. In the picture from left to right: Arkadiusz Durasiewicz, PhD, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences in Warsaw, Professor Miroslaw Grewinski, Deputy Rector of the Pedagogical University in Warsaw, Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus and Professor Julian Auleytner, Rector of the Pedagogical University in Warsaw.

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Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Centre for Rehabilitation of the Paralyzed (CRP) and Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) have joined hands to make it happen. The MoU includes several components with the intention to support people with disabilities, especially those affected by the Rana Plaza building collapse, but also other disabled people.

The ongoing GIZ project “Promotion of Social and Environmental Standards” (PSES), which already has a proven track record in improving the RMG sector in Bangladesh constitutes the framework under which the different measures of the MoU will be implemented.

These include infrastructure development to start the school, a training lab and library facilities, a faculty, curriculum development, a student exchange programme, making factories accessible for people with disabilities, job placement, and consultation.

At the signing ceremony, Germany’s Ambassador to Bangladesh Dr. Albrecht Conze praised the new initiative: “Tazreen and Rana Plaza have shaken Bangladesh and this country’s many friends across the world. For weeks and months, these accidents have made headlines in Germany. The time has come to address all issues of work place safety and adopt existing best practices all over the garment sector, through collaborative efforts, to salvage the reputation of Bangladesh’s most important industry. This tripartite MoU is aimed at helping many people to cope with their handicap and return to work. We want to give new perspectives to those who had already lost all hope of being able to sustain themselves and their families. I have seen with my own eyes what the CRP community is capable of doing for them, and I am convinced that these funds are well spent.”

“GIZ is committed to support RMG factories of Bangladesh in making their work place accessible for persons with disabilities. On this day marking six months since the Rana Plaza tragedy, we are not only working with victims involved in accidents in the sector but also with family members of victims and unskilled women with disabilities, to be trained on suitable trades. In collaboration with the private sector, these trained workers can be assured of employment.” said Olaf Handloegten, Country Director and signatory for GIZ.

The school would be an extension of the CRP’s premises. Dr. Valerie Taylor, Founder of CRP, also present at the event said, “This is a unique initiative of GIZ where the disaster response evolves into capacity building for the long term”.

Md Atiqul Islam, President of BGMEA added: “In one of our long term initiatives, we are collaborating with GIZ and CRP. I expect construction of this training institute to be completed soon. We will then have an expert pool on prosthetics and orthotics for ensuring access to factories for persons with disabilities. The RMG industry can offer various sorts of occupation for persons with disabilities and minor modification in the factories can enable persons with disabilities to work, and allow them to enjoy a decent life.”

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BCDJC president Nayeemul Islam Khan informed that the Award will recognise one Reporter & one Photojournalist from print media, one Reporter from electronic media including the related Camera Person/s for their outstanding contribution through investigative reporting/photograph published between January 1st and December 31st of 2012.
The award ceremony will be held on Saturday, 26 October 2013 at 10.30am at the Conference Lounge of National Press Club, Topkhana Road, Dhaka.
The Honorable Information Minister of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh Mr. Hasanul Haq Inu will grace the occasion as Chief Guest and the Honorable State Minister of Housing & Public Works Advocate Abdul Mannan Khan as Special Guest. Eminent journalists along with other distinguished members of civil society will also attend the event.

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• Real time monitoring: Delhi has the largest capacity for continuous monitoring and reporting of tiny particles of less than 10 micron seize (PM10) and less than 2.5 micron size (PM2.5), nitrogen oxide, sulphir dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, ammonia and air toxics including benzene, xylene and toluene. It also reports data on toxics like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), benzene, lead and nickel as well.
• Transparency in data reporting: Delhi has taken the lead to create a common platform to report data generated by multiple agencies including Central Pollution Control Board(CPCB) and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) from six monitoring stations. This provides real time data, 24 hour average status, historical data for previous seven days and so on. This is presented along with meteorological data including wind speed and direction, ambient temperature, humidity and solar radiation.
• Builds bus ridership, arrests the slide: Among the mega cities, Delhi has demonstrated that with all its reforms in place, it has been able to achieve the maximum increase in bus ridership since 2009; as much as 25 per cent, reversing the trend of falling bus riderships.
• Street design guidelines: Delhi has initiated steps to make a street accessible and safe, with space for various road users. The street design incorporates vending zones, three-wheeler stops, road furniture and pedestrian-oriented lighting, and is well integrated with other environmental elements including tree shade, water permeability etc. Crafted by the UTTIPEC, this is expected to be the basis of approval of future road projects in Delhi. If implemented with rigor and stringency, this can transform access network in the city. This can also improve safety in a city that is notorious for the highest incidence of road accidents in the country.
• Autorickshaws and taxis: Delhi takes the lead by reversing the policy of capping the numbers of autorickhshaws — Delhi government has, with the consent of the Supreme Court, has reversed the cap along with several reforms to make this service more organised. These vehicles have been put on GPS tracking system for enforcing proper metering and fare, safety, etc. The drivers are being issued smart cards for proper enforcement.
• Protecting green spaces from parking: Delhi is developing a comprehensive parking policy as a restraint measure and also as part of transit oriented development guidelines. A noteworthy step that Delhi has taken is in barring parking structure in green areas and neighbourhood parks.

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NGO News Desk :: Over a thousand CEOs and C-suite executives drawn to New York for the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit are expected to endorse an architecture for engagement unveiled by the United Nations Secretary-General this morning.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that Building the Post-2015 Business Engagement Architecture is designed to “drive and scale up corporate actions to directly advance United Nations goals”.

The plan to link business engagement with global priorities is a milestone in the growth of the UN Global Compact since its founding in 2000, when UN-business ties were scarce, to its current status as the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, with the participation of 8,000 companies and 4,000 civil society organizations from 145 countries.

It also comes, the Secretary-General noted in his address, only days before Governments meet at the UN to assess progress on the world’s Millennium Development Goals and plan for follow-through after MDG targets expire in 2015.

Complementing ambitious plans for companies aligning long-term business interests with overall social and environmental progress was the announcement by the Secretary-General of three new platforms for business on education, agriculture and peace.

The portfolio of UN Global Compact programmes also includes issue platforms on women’s empowerment, children’s rights, climate, water and anti-corruption. There are Local Networks organized in 101 nations, with the capacity to act as hubs for country-based sustainability strategies.

A report launched today at the Summit by the UN Global Compact and Accenture found widespread CEO agreement on the strategic nature of sustainability. The vast majority are calling for action by Governments, investors and consumers to unlock the full potential of corporate sustainability.

A panel of chief executives shared views on taking sustainability to a higher level, including: Robert Collymore, CEO of Safaricom Limited; Fu Chengyu, Chairman of Sinopec Group; Jacqueline Novogratz, Founder and CEO of Acumen Fund; Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever; Güler Sabancı, Chairman and Managing Director of Sabanci Holdings; and Dov Seidman, CEO and Founder of LRN.

Responding to the CEO panel were representatives of labour, investors and civil society, respectively: Philip Jennings, General Secretary of the UNI Global Union; Erika Karp, CEO and Founder of Cornerstone Capital, Inc.; and Pierre Sané, President of Imagine Africa International.

Also on the agenda for the 20 September Leaders Summit, which is held every three years, is a Private Sector Forum on Africa.

About the UN Global Compact
Launched in 2000, the United Nations Global Compact is both a policy platform and a practical framework for companies that are committed to sustainability and responsible business practices. As a multi-stakeholder leadership initiative, it seeks to align business operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and to catalyze actions in support of broader UN goals. With 8,000 corporate signatories in 145 countries, it is the world’s largest voluntary corporate sustainability initiative. www.unglobalcompact.org

About the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit
Chaired by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit 2013: Architects of a Better World (19-20 September) brings together chief executives with leaders from civil society, Government and the United Nations to unveil a new global architecture for corporate sustainability. As the Millennium Development Goals 2015 deadline approaches, the Summit will set the stage for business to shape and advance the post-2015 development agenda – putting forward an architecture for business to contribute to global priorities, such as climate change, water, food, equality, decent jobs, and education, at unprecedented levels. www.leaderssummit2013.org

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NGO News Desk ::

The study has been conducted in partnership with the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), Germany, supported by International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) as a part of a larger research endeavour in six countries (Bangladesh, Brazil, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Ecuador and India).

The study has been conducted in the Subarnachor and the Hatiya upazila of Noakhali district effective from January-March, 2013.

The study finding gives a vent for Char Development and Settlement Project (CDSP) target group members in regard to their perception, understanding and adaptation for the impacts of climate change and land governance. The study elucidates that poor settlers in the char lands of Noakhali districts lives under extreme uncertainty for their livelihood caused by the perennial natural hazards. The major study findings envisages that char land people perceives the climate change and have clear perception on the impacts of it on temperature, rainfall and frequency and intensity of storms. However, ‘Climate Change’ has been a completely new term which is yet to be known to the respondents, especially women.

The study expected that the findings will help the policy makers and implementers especially the civil societies along with government personnel to take fruitful initiative for the most vulnerable poor, deprived, powerless and landless char dwellers under changing climate.

Programme staffs, especially from BRAC WASH, DECC, Agriculture, HRLS, IDP, CDSP IV as well as researchers from RED have attended the seminar and contributed in the discussion.

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NGO News Report ::

“The policy adjustment should be calibrated to the recovery by augmenting aggregate demand through harmonisation of public and private investment. This is best done by addressing structural rather than cyclical constraints,” suggests the organisation’s pre-budget annual publication entitled “Exigency or Expediency? State of Bangladesh Economy and Development, 2012-2013.”

The leading think-tank reveals that the economy will slide down for the second consecutive year than that of the previous year. The Unnayan Onneshan forecast of 5.75 per cent and the primary estimate of 6.02 per cent by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) against the target of 7.2 per cent are below the decadal average rate of growth of 6.16 percent. The provisionally estimated GDP growth rate in the preceding year of 2011-12 was 6.32 per cent, which was less than 0.39 per cent of 2010-11.

The private investment to GDP has decreased by 0.4 percentage points in FY 2011-12 and the national savings-investment gap has widened from 3.63 percent in FY 2010-11 to 3.95 percent in FY 2011-12.

Besides, the country has pursued non-evidence-based policies prescribed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) at a cost of its policy sovereignty and the economy has contracted, adds the organisation.

Referring to budget deficit, the Unnayan Onneshan observes that the fiscal policy needs to make a radical shift in the composition of the fiscal deficit from consumption such as paying for rents to quick rental power plants to addressing supply-side bottlenecks through public investment in infrastructure. The increased public infrastructure investment will ensue fiscal multipliers and crowd in private investment, unlike the current consumption based fiscal deficit, which has been crowding out private investment demand. The budget deficit for FY 2012-13 is estimated to be Tk.52068 crore, which may surpass the targeted 5.0 percent of the GDP.

The organisation has proposed for structural reforms in the areas of net, burden, avoidance and evasion of taxes in the backdrop of missed target in revenue collection. The collection, between July-March of the present fiscal year, has experienced a deficit of Tk. 4783 crore, with an actual collection of Tk. 73217 crore against the target of Tk. 78000 crore for this period.

The research organisation identifies four major challenges in the monetary sector: high inflation, high interest rate spread, slow credit growth and slow progress in financial inclusion. Even after adopting a contractionary monetary policy, inflation amounted to 8.00 percent in March 2013, while domestic credit growth recorded a slower growth of 7.03 percent during July-March, FY 2012-13 against 12.88 percent in the corresponding period of FY 2011-12. This is compounded by heightened rise in non-performing loans and misdemeanours in regulatory oversights in the banking sector while capital market continues depressed with erosion in confidence.

As regards the external sector, the Unnayan Onneshan finds that deteriorating terms of trade, negative import growth of capital machinery, missing of export target and increased exposure to high interest bearing short-term foreign borrowing have repercussions on the economy. The collapse of a factory building has also subjected the country’s top export earner, the garment sector, to renewed pressure.

The terms of trade in January 2013 stood at 81.9 percent, which was 13.90 percentage points lower than that of December, 2012. Import of capital machinery has observed a negative growth of 4.79 percent during July-February of 2011-12 over July-February of 2012-13, and the country has missed her export target for the first seven months of FY 2012-13 by USD 330 million. During July-February of FY 2012-13, external loans have increased by USD 407 million compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.

The Unnayan Onneshan detects that the real sectors have been burdened with a rapidly declining agricultural sector and a relatively slow growing industrial sector. The industrial sector grew at a yearly average of 37 percentage points between FY 1997-98 and FY 2011-12, the agricultural sector declined by 40 percentage points.

The Unnayan Onneshan points out that education and health have not received sufficient budgetary allocations in real terms and the rate of increase in education expenditure has decelerated from 9.98 percent in FY 2011-12 to 6.76 percent in FY 2012-13. Health expenditure has also increased at a decreasing rate in FY 2012-13.

In the labour market, the formal sector has long been shrinking. Total civilian labour force has grown by 23.32 percent between 2002-03 and 2010, whereas the size of the formal sector has decreased by a massive 26.09 percent. Moreover, the problem of disguised unemployment remains as severe as ever, observes the leading think-tank.

The research organization suggests for adopting structural reforms to develop the real economy for generation of decent employment in line with its comparative advantage.

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The group carries a banner titled “Confrontational politics paves anarchy in governance and annual capital transfer of $1.8 billion which is more than country’s annual foreign loan and aid of $1.2 billion, Respect human rights, Stop hate speech and Politicians must sit for dialogue.”

The alliance place nine points demand that majorly includes (i) Politicians must set their own rules of game; (ii) Hartal is being hardly acceptable as a democratic means of protest, it jeopardizes people’s life and livelihood; (iii) Stop hate speech as it creates enmity instead of unity; (iv) Destruction of public and private properties during hartal is no more supportable. Neither it is an act of responsible citizen. Politicians must orient their party men on human rights and democratic culture, so that they act like a responsible citizen; (v) The ruling party must take lead to tranquil the situation and build people’s trust.

The group also demands “Every citizens should have the right to decide own way of life. No one has the right to impose anything through fascism or religious fanaticism.”

Badrul Alam of Bangladesh Krishok Fedration says that confrontational politics is paving the growth of national Bourgeois who has less respect to human rights and social accountability. Rezaul Karim Chowdhury of EquityBD mentions that politicians are the great transforming agent of our history and the nation. It is expected that they should not fail in this situation overcoming the standstill and confrontational politics.

Mostafa Kamal Akanda of EquityBD moderates the speeches given during the rally. Other speakers are Hena Chowdhury of Jatiya Sramik Jote, KM Rafiqul Islam of PSS and Aminur Rasul of Unnayan Dhara Trust.

The prominent participating organizations are Online Knowledge Centre, NCCB, ASO, Kishani Shova, Coastal Development Partnership, Jatiya Sramik Jote, Bangladesh Krishok Federtaion, BAPA, VOICE, Humanitywatch, EquityBD and others.

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The activities are discussion on climate change issues, exhibition on agriculture and climate change related technology and activities, Climate hearing, cultural presentation, debate completion,   farmers reception, rural traditional sports for farmers,  documentary film show, drama etc.

All concerns are requested to join the activities and success the fair. Interested organizations and persons are requested to show their activities, climate change and agriculture related technologies, publications, poster, leaflets, videos & documentary film and IEC materials for distribution and sharing purposes, please contact to the organizers.

Rural Livelihood Fair-1420

Venue: Chakaria Bijoy Mancha, Chakaria Biman Bandar ground, Cox’s Bazar.

Date: 26, 27, 28(Friday, Saturday and Sunday), 9.00 AM to 9.00 PM

Contact for more information;

Md Giash Uddin, Sr. Programme Manger, Sk Azad Kamal Tipu, Programme Officer, ISDE Bangladesh Regional Office, ISDE Babhan, Upazila Parishad Road, Chiringa CC, Chakaria, Cox’s Bazar-4740. Tel: 01819934577, 01721770562

Email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected],

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Abu Baker ::

A project called ‘Flood Resistant Shelter  (FRESH) and Sanitation’ project was initiated by Oxfam, Action Aid, CARE, Concern Worldwide, Islamic Relief and Solidarities of NAARI Consortium in 2012, to respond to the shelter and sanitation needs of the most vulnerable communities affected by water logging. Led by Oxfam and funded by UKaid, the project aimed to provide a combination of disaster resilient shelters and WASH (water sanitation and hygiene) support for families whose homes were destroyed during the recent flood in 2011 and also for prolong water logging.

A National Workshop was arranged yesterday in Dhaka to share the outcomes since the inception till the closure of the project. Addressing the workshop as the chief guest, Rawnak Mahmud, Acting Director General of NGO Affairs Bureau said,” If initiative like FRESH was not taken to solve the waterlogging problem, Southwest region would have been emerged as another poverty-prone region in Bangladesh.” He also thanked all the NGOs for coming forward along with the government to address the sufferings of the people in Shatkhira and Jessore districts. He however mentioned that there are many areas left where people still are water logged, and consortium approach could be replicated there.

Earlier, Kaiser Rejve from Oxfam presented the keynote paper on the project and Gareth Price-jones, Oxfam’s Country Director in Bangladesh briefed about the consortium approach led by Oxfam.

AKM Musha, Country Director, Concern Worldwide, Md Abdul Qayyum, Additional Secretary and NPD-CDMP, also spoke among others. Representatives from government, media, donor, civil society and NAARI consortium were present in the workshop.

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NGO News Desk ::

On the eve of project closure, FRESH consortium arranges a National Workshop to share key outcomes and learning achieved through out the project cycle.

When:  23 March, 2013, 9.30 AM-1.30 PM

Where: Lakeshore Hotel, Road # 41, House # 46, Gulshan 2, Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh

Who:   

Chief Guest:

Md. Nurun Nabi Talukder, Director General, NGO Affairs Bureau

About FRESH:

The FRESH project, initiated by members of the NARRI Consortium, funded by UKAID, is responding to the shelter and sanitation needs of the most vulnerable communities affected by water logging in southwest Bangladesh. It aims to provide a combination of disaster resilient family shelters and WASH (water sanitation and hygiene) support for families whose homes were destroyed during the recent floods and water logging, and appropriate advocacy to support the shelter as well as reducing risk to disasters in the future.

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WHAT IS CLIMATE JUSTICE?

Climate Change is inequitable. Often those that are most severely impacted upon by climate change are those that have contributed the least to the problem, and have the least resources to adapt and cope. This is the case for Bangladeshis, who have some of the lowest carbon footprints in the world, however they have been identified by the World Bank as one of the world’s most vulnerable nations to the impacts of a changing climate.

HOW IS CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTING UPON BANGLADESH?

Monsoonal flooding, sea level rise, droughts, cyclones, storm surges and heat waves are all increasing in severity, threatening the lives and livelihoods of millions of Bangladeshis. Climate Change is further compounding the already dire state of overpopulation, poverty, pollution and food insecurity in Bangladesh.

WHAT WILL THE PROJECT INVOLVE?

Patrick will be teaming up with local Bengali and English speaking climate experts to deliver free training programs to local NGOs, youth groups, schools, universities and community groups to improve their capacity to address climate change. The major event will be a free ‘Climate Solutions Conference’ held in Bengali in late March. This training will focus on practical solutions to the climate challenge, incorporating discussions of community-based adaptation, renewable energy, sustainability, disaster risk reduction, transport, microfinance and agriculture. A team of local youth from the Bangladeshi Youth Movement for Climate (BYMC) will also be joining the project, and running a number of environmental activities in Dhaka over the month of March. The project also aims to document the climate change injustices occurring in Bangladesh, and utilize these ‘stories’ to raise international media attention.

HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?

If you are interested in participating in the project activities, or applying for a free training program, you can contact Patrick ([email protected]) or the local coordinator Jamil Ahmed ([email protected]) to register. Contact Patrick if you would like to participate in the projects activities, or contribute to local team helping to implement the project.

Contacts:

Patrick Kirkby (Project Manager)

[email protected]

01685712504

Jamil Ahmed (Local Coordinator – JATRI Centre @ BRAC University)

[email protected]

+88-01711-855732

Abdullah Razwan (Bangladeshi Youth Movement for Climate)

[email protected]

01712916516

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The event will be organized by VOICE in association with Bangladesh Manobadhikar Sangbadik Forum;  Campaign on Citizen Right to Information; Equity and Justice Working Group;  Online Knowledge Society, Sushashoner Jonno Procharavijan; School of Communications and Cultural Metaphysics.

Reputed scholars, journalists, academicians, civil society representatives, Parliamentarians including Principal SHah Alam MP, Prof. Dr. Ohiduzzaman, Mr. Syed Abul Moksud, Ms. Selina Hosaain, Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul among otehrs will be speaking in the distinguished panel.

The dialogue will highlight UN Special Rapporteur’s Report on the Promoting and Protection of Freedom of Opinion and Expression and we hope to launch the Bangladesh assessment report in the occasion.

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NGO News Desk :: The United Nations University (UNU) is pleased to announce that Dr. David M. Malone of Canada today has assumed office for a five-year term as Rector of UNU. In this role, Dr. Malone holds the rank of Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations.

The selection of Dr. Malone as the sixth Rector of UNU, to succeed Dr. Konrad Osterwalder of Switzerland (UNU Rector from 1 Sept. 2007 to 28 Feb. 2013), was previously announced by the UN Secretary-General’s Office in October 2012.

Prior to joining UNU, Dr. Malone had served (from 2008) as President of Canada’s International Development Research Centre, a funding agency that supports policy-relevant research in the developing world. See below for a brief profile of Dr. Malone’s career.

“I congratulate Dr. Malone and look forward to working closely with him to strengthen the vital work of the United Nations University”, said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “Dr. Malone brings a world of experience to the job, and I wish him well as he takes on this important assignment.”

On behalf of the governing Council of the United Nations University, Council Chair Prof. Mohamed H.A. Hassan of Sudan said: “We are very pleased with the appointment of Dr. Malone as the sixth Rector of UNU. The members of the Council join me in welcoming Rector Malone to the University community, and we look forward very much to working with him in the coming months and years.”

“I have worked alongside the United Nations University and within several UNU projects in the past, and retain excellent memories of those experiences”, noted Dr. Malone.

“I am grateful to my predecessor, Konrad Osterwalder, for having worked tirelessly to enhance the research and academic capacities of UNU”, he added. “I very much look forward to getting to know the research teams animating UNU’s work around the world, and also to meeting its growing faculty and student body.”

As Rector, Dr. Malone will be based at UNU Headquarters in Tokyo.

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NGO News Desk :: More languages and new digital formats and a new design: Deutsche Welle starts its ninth annual, international blog and social media awards, the Bobs, on February 6, 2013.

Internet users around the world will have until March 6 to submit their candidates for the Bobs in 14 languages. For the first time, Hindi, Turkish and Ukrainian will be official award languages. The Bobs also added the “Best Person to Follow.” Criteria for the new category are relevance, influence and interconnectedness. Anyone who would like to take part can find all the details at www.thebobs.com, which underwent a major redesign for 2013.

An international jury panel as well as an online vote will decide the winners of the Bobs 2013. The 15-person jury will select winners in the six multilingual categories, and it will be up to Internet users to choose their favorite nominees in all 34 categories. Last year, more than 3,000 sites were submitted to the contest and over 60,000 ballots cast online.

Awards ceremony at the Global Media Forum in Bonn

The “Global Media Forum Award” this year will cast the spotlight on the focus of this year’s Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum (June 17-19 in Bonn): “The Future of Growth – Economic Values and the Media.” The award ceremony for all the jury award winners will take place during the conference on June 18, 2013.

In cooperation with the human rights group Reporters Without Borders, the Bobs will once again bestow the “Reporters Without Borders Award” to an Internet project that sets itself apart by promoting freedom of the press, expression, democracy and human rights in an exemplary manner.

Pushing for democratization and participation

Deutsche Welle created the Bobs in 2004 to stimulate and enrich a public discussion about freedom of expression in digital media. Over the last nine years, The Bobs have honored projects from around the world that stand for integration, transparency and which help Internet users move through the language barrier for a view of the global digital community.

“The Bobs awards give people courage to push forward with their democratization and participation efforts,” said Ute Schaeffer, DW Editor-in-Chief for Regionalized Content.

The Bobs at a glance

Six main, multilingual categories, each with a jury award and users’ choice prize

–        Best Blog

This is the place for the blogs whose content and design do an exemplary job of promoting and protecting human rights as well as initiating and fostering open discussion of topics that are of social and public importance.

–        Best Innovation

A software solution, application or Internet platform that dedicates itself to providing the technology that enables people to improve society and democratic social integration.

–        Best Social Activism

An initiative that makes exemplary use of social media, networks and other forms of digital communication to bolster democracy, freedom and human rights.

–        Most Creative and Original

For websites that take a creative and entertaining approach to serious topics. The focus here is on the innovative and surprising way socially relevant topics are handled and presented.

–        Reporters Without Borders Award

For projects that take a strong stance for freedom of information and expression around the world. It also honors bloggers who dare to spread information under daunting circumstances.

–        Global Media Forum Award

For websites that address the focus of the 2013 Global Media Forum: “The Future of Growth – Economic Values and the Media.”

Best Blog in each of the 14 languages (users’ choice prize only)

The Best Blog categories will honor sites in all 14 languages that play a role in promoting public dialogue and providing top-quality analysis and commentary on current events. The Bobs’ official contest languages are: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, English, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish andUkrainian.

Best Person to Follow in each language (users’ choice prize only)

The best microblogs in each of the The Bobs’ 14 languages. We’ll be narrowing the field down to the best microblogs dealing with current events. Important criteria are relevance, influence, interconnectedness and original content. This category is open to individuals as well as accounts run by companies or fictitious figures.  

Mark your calendars

–        The Bobs start on February 6 and will be open to site submissions until March 6. Jury members will then choose their nominees for each of the categories. A complete list of jury members can be found at www.thebobs.com.

–        Between April 3 and May 7 all the winners will be chosen. The jury panel will meet in Berlin to discuss and select winners for the jury awards and – independently – the Internet public will be able to cast their votes for the sites and projects that most impressed them.

–        All the winners will be announced on May 7.

–        On May 3, jury members will hold a press conference in Berlin on the trends they observe in social media use in their own countries.

–        The winners of the six main, multilingual jury awards will be invited to Bonn, Germany, to receive their awards as part of the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum.

Our partners

Our premium partner is Reporters Without Borders. Media partners are Masrawy, Somewhere in…, Bdnews.com, iSUN TV, Global Voices Online, Categorynet, Courrier International, Presseeurop, Gooya, Korrespondent, ntvmsnbc, MYNET, MEDYATAVA, webdunia, Terra and Lenta.ru.

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