Far from suburban shopping malls and Parisian catwalks are cotton fields, textile mills, and garment factories. Bangladesh has nearly 4 million female garment workers, each earning less than $4 per day. Most don’t have college degrees and many work in unsafe conditions, as evidenced by the 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse that killed over 1000 garment workers in a single day. With your help, these women can get an education, break out of poverty, and improve the garment industry from the inside.

This project will help one female garment worker earn her Bachelor’s degree and develop the professional skills needed to advance her career and lift her family out of poverty. With your help, she will get an English language-based, liberal arts and sciences undergraduate education at AUW’s multicultural residential campus in Bangladesh. She will combine her education and experience working on the factory floor to advocate for others, and improve her life and the lives of those in her community.

Our mission rests on the unshakable belief that poverty, discrimination, war, and restrictive social norms should not exclude women of great promise and courage from educational opportunities. By investing in one female garment worker, you will not only change her life; you will change the fate of her children, her community, the planet, and the entire garment industry. The student you support will become an agent of change. Your investment will impact millions of people in a single lifetime.

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Oxfam is calling on government and business leaders attending the World Economic Forum on ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), in Malaysia on 1-2 June, to support a living wage for all, and to invest in services that will help lift the burden of care from women’s shoulders.

Oxfam’s report, ‘’Underpaid and undervalued’, highlights how many Asian countries have maintained a competitive advantage in the global market place by driving down wages and working conditions – particularly in sectors that employ a high proportion of women to produce food, clothes and electronics for export around the globe.

Asia’s ‘low wage’ economic model has created an inequality crisis with the richest in society accumulating wealth at the expense of the poorest. Over the last two decades the richest 10 percent of the population in China, Indonesia, Laos, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have seen their share of income increase by more than 15 percent – the poorest 10 percent have seen their share of income fall by more than 15 percent.

Due to a combination of discrimination and working in low pay sectors women’s, wages across Asia are between 70 and 90 percent of men’s. In India, women are paid a third less than men on average and in Bangladesh women earn an average of 23 percent less per hour than men for the same kind of jobs.

Many women struggle to survive as the national minimum wage in many Asian countries – where it is paid – is on average a quarter of the amount required for a decent standard of living. Women workers are often denied benefits such as sick pay, are forced to work long hours in unsafe conditions, and are subject to sexual harassment.

Trini Leung, Director General of Oxfam Hong Kong, said: “High street retailers and Asian governments have built their businesses and their economies on the backs of low paid women workers across Asia. This has to stop. Governments and businesses must ensure all workers are paid a living wage so they have enough money to pay for essentials such as food, healthcare and housing.”

The report also highlights how women are left to shoulder the burden of unpaid care work with little or no social support.On average women in Asia do two and a half times more unpaid care work than men – this includes tasks such as cooking, cleaning, washing clothes, fetching water and firewood, and caring for dependents. In Pakistan, women clock up 4.3 hours more unpaid care work per day than men. By comparison, women in developed economies spend an average of 2 hours per day more than men on unpaid care and domestic work. Globally the time women spend on unpaid care work is valued at $10 trillion a year.

Spending on social services that could help reduce the burden on women, accounts for less than 10 percent of Asia’s GDP – developed economies spend 3 times this amount. “Women across Asia are working a double day. They work long hours in sweatshops as well as caring for their family and managing all the household chores. Women are the backbone of the economy yet they receive little support. Governments and businesses must help lift the burden from women’s shoulders by providing benefits such as maternity pay and childcare support, and by investing in basic infrastructure like clean water supplies,” said Leung.

“Governments can and must help pay for this by ensuring wealthy individuals and companies pay their fair share of tax. It is estimated that Asia loses $35 billion in revenues every year as a result of the use of tax havens by wealthy individuals,” added Leung.

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Expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment ministry secretary Begum Shamsun Nahar said Bangladesh labour market in Qatar will not be affected following soaring relation between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. “We deal our labour market individually so it would not be affected,” Shamsun Nahar said while answering a query of a journalist during a workshop at the conference room of the expat ministry.

Recently Saudi Arabia cut off diplomatic relation with Qatar, raising allegation that Qatar is funding for radicalization.
Female migrant workers and their rights campaigners on Wednesday called upon the government to immediately regulate the middlemen involved in the recruitment process to relieve the outgoing migrants from their harassment.

They demanded ensuring recruitment of migrant workers from the government database and bringing the recruiting agencies under regulation to recruit the migrants from the database. They made their remarks while speaking at a consultation on challenges of women migrant workers of Bangladesh and addressing the role of the intermediaries at Probashi Lakyan Bahban.

Bangladeshi Ovhibashi Mohila Sramik Association (BOMSA) in collaboration with British Council’s PROKAS program organized the consultation, which was chaired by Manusher Jonno Foundation executive director Shaheen Anam.
Female migrant Shahida said that she was preparing to go abroad but she found that no work could be done without help of brokers (middlemen).

‘Although I did not have diseases, my medical checkup at GUMCA office made me unfit as I went there without taking agent,’ she told the consultation by weeping. Shahida appealed to the government to protect her and other poor migrant workers from hands of the middlemen.
Another migrant Shahnaj Begum who returned home Oman said that she went to the country by paying one lakh taka to the broker and he had worked in Oman for seven years and earned monthly Tk 25,000. She is planning to migrate to Oman again by her own initiative, she said. BOMSA director Sumaiya Islam presented a keynote paper at the consultation and said that the middlemen should be regulated by the existing laws as they were demolishing the dream of the female migrant workers.

The functional recruitment system from the government database can help reduce the involvement of middlemen, she said. Shaheen Anam said that it was urgently needed to improve training for the outgoing female migrant workers as they were coming from the vulnerable places.

‘Most of them go abroad to work without taking skills. They remain ill-prepared and fail to bargain for their salaries,’ she said.
The ladies having minimum educational backgrounds should be selected for overseas jobs, she said.

Catherine Cecill, team leader of Prokas, British Council, said the intermediaries are the part and parcel of labour migration process.
“Sometimes migrants are exploited by the intermediaries,” she said adding the intermediaries have to be regulated.
Catherine said the female migrants are exploited due to lack of available information. She also said the government, NGOs and the private sectors have to work together to ensure safe and orderly migration.

Secretary to expatriates welfare and overseas employment ministry Beguma Shamsun Nahar said that 90 per cent of the female migrants from the needy families were going to work abroad as housemaids. They were being sent abroad by providing one month residential training at home, she mentioned.

Speaking as chief guest, expatriates welfare and overseas employment minister Nurul Islam said ‘We want that no female migrant workers are victims of cheating and harassment at home and abroad.’

He said that the government has taken efforts to provide training to the female migrants in different trades out of the housekeeping sectors.
The minister said that overseas employment act 2013 has been formulated to protect the male and female workers from cheating of the middlemen.

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The aim of this event was to sensitise Bangladesh’s Readymade Garments (RMG) industry on including skilled workers with disabilities in the mainstream workforce. The “International Day of Persons with Disabilities” is globally celebrated on 3 December and this year’s theme is “Inclusion Matters: Access and Empowerment of People of all Abilities”.

The prime objective of this event was to inaugurate “Champions of Inclusion”- a platform of RMG factory owners of Bangladesh to promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the mainstream workforce. GIZ has organised this event in cooperation with Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), Centre for Disability in Development (CDD) and Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP).

During this event, the RMG factory owners were sensitised on national policies and international standards governing the economic inclusion of persons with disabilities through presenting success stories of workers with disabilities. There was also a discussion session, where Mr Khorshed Alam, Chief Executive Officer of NSDC, and Mr Syed Ahmed, Inspector General (Additional Secretary), Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) along with RMG workers with disabilities and owners of RMG factories took part. It was discussed in the session that, equal access to dignified employment for persons with disabilities is currently being promoted by several national and international policies and documents.

In collaboration with Government of Bangladesh, NGO partners and private sector, the primary objective of the Inclusive Skills Development component is including persons with disabilities in the mainstream workforce of Bangladesh’s RMG industry by providing disability inclusive skills training, ensuring sustainable employment and promoting equal opportunities for all.

The “Bangladesh Rights and Protection of Persons with Disabilities Act” 2013”, calls for action to create work and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities in public and private sectors. The Government of Bangladesh has already signed and ratified the “UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD)” in 2007. Article 27 of the convention states that parties recognise the rights of persons with disabilities to work on an equal basis with others. So far, ISD has completed auditing in 92 RMG factories for barrier-free access and disability inclusive HR policies.

In the presence of the Chief Guest, Honourable State Minister, Md Shahriar Alam, M.P., Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Guest of Honour, His Excellency, Dr Thomas Prinz, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the People’s Republic of Bangladesh; and the Special Guest, Honourable Mayor, Dhaka City Corporation-North, Mr Annisul Huq; along with the Special Guest, Mr Mohammed Nasir, Vice President (Finance), BGMEA, the logo of “Champions of Inclusion” was unveiledin front of the leading RMG business owners and related stakeholders in Bangladesh.

Change Agents: owners from Bangladesh Readymade Garments who responded to the calls for action at the event were- Bitopi Group, Fakhruddin Textiles Ltd, Urmi Group, Saiham Knit Composite Ltd, Vintage Denim Ltd, Pandora Associates Ltd, Viyellatex Group, Mohammadi Group, Pride Group, Evergreen Sweaters Ltd, Interstoff Group, and Renaissance Group & Sweater Makers Ltd.

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NGO News Report

The survey was conducted among 911 adolescent boys and girls on Knowledge Attitude and Practice (KAP) on Sexuality and Reproductive Health (SRH) living in urban slum areas of Narayanganj. According to BMHS, 2011 in Bangladesh, we have 22% adolescent population.

Among them round 66% early marriage happen in slum and 11.8% girls below 18 years are carrying baby which is high risk cause of girls’ mortality. In the slum area due to sanitation problem girls are facing SRH problems like irregular menstruation, discharge, painful menstruation, STIs. Other problems of them are injuries, violence, rape, sexual abuse, victims of acid attacks, etc. There are early or unwanted pregnancies, pre – eclampsia/ eclampsia, obstructed labor caused by immaturity of birth canal, post- partum hemorrhage, ruptured uterus, septic abortion, etc.

The report says, Boys SRH problems are mental anxiety and depression because of starting of wet dreams. The highest adolescent pregnancy rate which is 32.8% in Rajshahi division (BMHS, 2010). The slum adolescents have poor knowledge on Sexual and Reproductive Health. Around 29% adolescents have knowledge on AIDS and Contraceptives. GIZ is aiming to increase their knowledge among them up to 54% in Narayanganj by 2017 through implementing project on SRH.

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Professor Yunus welcomed the participants to the Lab and updated the audience that 885 social business projects had been presented in the 70 labs organized to date since January 2013, of which 860 had been approved for investment, most of which were already in operation. He said that we would soon cross the 1000 invested projects mark.

At the 71st Lab held today, six new Nobin Udyokta – new entrepreneurs from Grameen Bank families – presented their business plans. Remarkably, four of the six entrepreneurs presenting today were young women.

The businesses presented were Choa Boutiques by Ms Mafia Parvin making embroidered and applique bedspreads and covers ; Taslima Shoes by Md Al Amin producing fancy footwear; Najnin Handicraft by Ms Najnin producing creative and colorful beaded, cloth and a variety of other handicrafts; Shahed Decorator by Ms Poly Begum; Forhan Cow Fattening Farm by Md Forhan Firoz Rony and Khuku Mudi Store by Ms Khuku Rani.Ms Khuku Rani came from Thakurgaon and belongs to minority community in that region. She began her business with Tk 2000 and that has grown to Tk 83,000 through her own efforts. Investment from Grameen’s social business fund would add another Tk 1.5 lakhs to her business. Ms Poly Begum’s business was unusual in that decorator business is traditionally run by men.

Their presentations provided details of their business plans, details of the investment needed, monthly and annual profits, break even point for the business, and payback period of their investment. The projects were discussed in detail in plenary and in group discussions. All six were approved for investment through social business fund.

In addition, Grameen Shakti Samajik Byabosha signed six new Nobin Udyokta projects and Grameen Kalyan also signed MoU with six new Nobin Udyoktas today.

At the end of the event, Professor Muhammad Yunus noted that it was very good progress that nearly 900 new social businesses projects had been launched in the two years since the start of the Social Business Design Lab in January 2013. He said that the vast majority of them were Nobin Udyokta projects where the young people running the businesses had undertaken that they would not be job-seekers, rather they would be job-givers, providing employment for themselves but also for others in their communities, which was an invaluable contribution to the national economy.

Professor Yunus invited everyone to attend the annual Social Business Day celebration which would take place in 2015 on 28 May. Each year, this day brings together Social Business practitioners from around the world. Last year 1100 participants from 30 countries attended this event.

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The EEP/Shiree project, which works with the extreme poor under the supervision of RDCD of LGRD Ministry, and with the support of UK aid’s DFID and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), organized countrywide special courtyard sessions to spread the message on the urgent need for women’s empowerment.

At 11 o’clock today 2,000 Community Pusti Karmis (CPKs) of 14 partner NGOs conducted special courtyard sessions with about 35,000 extreme poor beneficiaries in 85 Upazilas of 22 Districts. The aim was reinforce messages associated with the International Women’s Day 2015.

EEP/Shiree supports more than 1 million people take enduring steps out of extreme poverty. In trying to halt the inter-generational transfer of poverty, the EEP/Shiree targets women in extreme poor households to help improve their nutritional status along with livelihood support.

In addressing the scourge of malnutrition, EEP/Shiree works with poor people to improve nutrition and to understand what makes for a better diet. Households are made aware of the issues by Community Pusti Karmi) marked International Women’s Day by bringing the issues into greater focus. In Bangladesh, women are often undernourished and suffer from multiple nutrition related problems.

A high proportion of women (15%) are below the critical height of 145 centimetres. The B- D- H- S- 2007 survey data indicated that, 30% of women have a Body Mass Index (BMI) less than 18.5 (the cut-off for chronic energy deficiency). About 10% of women suffer from more serious under-nutrition with a BMI of less than 17.

An EEP/Shiree produced infographic to be used by the Community Pusti Karmis in their courtyard meetings to incorporate the message associated with the themes of the International Women’s Day 2015. The flyer contains information related health care, strategies to improve maternal and child health, reasons not to drop out from school. The Community Pusti Karmis conveyed these messages to female household members.

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NGO News Report ::

To mark International Women’s Day 2015 and the 20-year anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, UN Women and ActionAid Bangladesh arranged a press conference yesterday on on “SEVEN: a documentary play” held at the National Parliament Media Centre

H.E. Hanne Fugl Eskjaer, Ambassador of Denmark, H.E. Merete Lundemo, Ambassador of Norway, Ms. Farah Kabir, Country Director, ActionAid Bangladesh, Ms. Rokia Rahman, President, Bangladesh Federation of Women Entrepreneurs, H.E. Wanja Campos da Nóbrega, Ambassador of Brazil, Ms Christine Hunter, Country Representative UN WOMEN Bangladesh.Ms Tove Eriksson, Project Manager, Seven On Tour were present in the press conference. The press conference was held to disclose the issue towards the media.

On the 6th of March seven prominent women in Bangladesh will lend their voices to these stories, and perform a reading of the play at the Chayyanaut Theatre. The documentary play “Seven” captures the challenges and obstacles faced by women activists from Russia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Afghanistan, Guatemala and Cambodia, but it is these women’s strength and courage that really grips the audience.

Seven seeks to put women’s rights higher on political and social agenda by spreading these stories with the help of strong voices on stage. Seven has been performed in 32 countries, bringing together people from grass root organizations, governmental institutions and activist networks. It has been a catalyst for change, igniting new conversations on gender equality and women’s rights. To date Seven has been translated into 23 languages – Bangla is next!

In March 2014 in Dhaka women Ambassadors and heads of UN agencies performed Seven to mark International Women’s Day. It was a powerful moment for the audience of over 300 and for the readers. Building on this success, UN Women supported by the Swedish Embassy will translate the play into Bangla and use it to mobilize efforts to prevent violence against women.

To launch that, seven women leaders from Bangladesh and the international community will again do a reading for international women’s day, hoping to attract a diverse crowd with thoughts and ideas on key issues women’s rights in Bangladesh today.

UN Women recognises the readers for their leadership and initiatives in advancing gender equality in Bangladesh and for the continued support from our partners at the Embassy of Sweden, the Embassy of Denmark, the Embassy of Norway, the Embassy of Bhutan, the Embassy of Brazil and ActionAid Bangladesh and Hedda Produktion AB for this event.

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Following our previous years’ efforts, “Uddome Uttorone Shotokoti” kept continuing advocacy in 2015, and are organizing various events at villages and cities on 14 February, 2015. The campaign is organizing a press conference on 12 February, 2015 Thursday, at 11:00 am.

As the UN Human Rights report continues to draw attention of every nation to the fact that 1 in 3 women on the planet is being beaten or raped during her lifetime, the number adds up to more than ONE BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS. In this context, One Billion Rising gradually gained momentum as a worldwide movement.

In the years 2013 and 2014 people of Bangladesh identified them with the movement as “Uddome Uttorone Shotokoti”. They stood up, sought justice and demanded an end to violence together with more than a billion men and women in 206 countries in series of events organized around the world on 14 February, 2014.

Our agenda in 2015 is “Uddome Uttorane Shatokotir Biplob” (One Billion Rising REVOLUTION). We have seen that in Bangladesh our demand for justice carried a grave importance in the context of violence against women. Denial and delay in justice has been a common phenomena here. Police reports show that about 2,00,862 women were subjected to violence between 2002 to 2014. Violence conducted in many forms; i.e. acid attacks, kidnapping, rape, murder followed by gang rape, trafficking, killing & torture for dowry and political killings.

Data or report on how many of these cases have been tried and given justice to has never been published. In 2015 behind the smoke screen of the rising petrol bomb blasts, burning of buses and trucks, sabotage of economy and social peace, violence against women continues across the country and people barely notice or question such incidents. We therefore, call women and men to strengthen their solidarity to accelerate resistance nationwide to stop violence against women and girls.

At the press conference we will share with the representatives of the press, the concerns of people across the country about the increasing violence against women and girls and upcoming programs of “Uddome Uttorone Shatokoti-r Biplob”. It will be held on 12th February, 2015, Thursday at 11:00 am at the Sagor Runi Hall of Dhaka Reporters’ Unity. By ensuring active participation of your much esteemed Newspapers/ Television channels/Online news portals, and by communicating our concerns to the people of Bangladesh you have always been a great support to the rights campaign of women of Bangladesh and I hope you’ll do so this year too.

The panel on the press conference includes among others, Khushi Kabir, OBR Bangladesh Coordinator, Fawzia Khondoker, Core Committee member of SANGAT, and Farah Kabir, Country Director of ActionAid Bangladesh, Jobayed Hossain, Plan International, and Monica Jahan Bose, a Bangladeshi-American artist, lawyer, and activist.

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NGO News Report ::

Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Syed Monjurul Islam, graced the auspicious occasion as chief guest. Melissa Jones, Director of USAID’s Population, Health, Nutrition and Education programs joined; Mohammad Fazul Haque, Joint Secretory & Director Planning, Directorate General of Family Planning; Dr. Md. Shah Nawaz, ADG (Administration) , Directorate General of Health Services and Mohammad Wahd Hossain, Director General, NIPORT joined as special guests.

CEO and Global Director of Dnet and Chief Technical Advisor of MAMA Bangladesh, Dr. Ananya Raihan, and Atik Ahsan, Program Manager of the MAMA Bangladesh Initiative, as well as key partners, Chief of Party of MaMoni Health Systems Strengthening Project Dr. Ishtiaq Mannan, CEO of BEXIMCO Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Mr Rabbiur Reza, and Director of Multimode Group, Nasrin Fatima Awal Mintoo were also present.
“I’m proud to be a part of ‘Aponjon’. The partnership with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Access to Information Program were instrumental for the successful implementation of the program,” said Melissa Jones.

Honorable Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Syed Monjurul Islam, said that “the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has been very closely engaged with the developments of the initiative since its beginning and it has been seen how dedicatedly and passionately Aponjon team has worked to make it a success.” He also said that the government is implementing a number of programs and projects in order to reduce maternal and infant deaths.

Chief of Party from USAID’s MaMoni Health Systems Strengthening Project, Dr. Ishtiaq Mannan, explained how MaMoni started its work to reduce maternal and child mortality only a few days before Aponjon began. He also talked about how the two projects have successfully worked together to save the lives of mothers and children in seven districts of Bangladesh.

Dnet has been implementing this program in association with MAMA Global and the financial support of USAID. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has also extended its support towards this initiative. Users simply dial “16227” to access Aponjon services, and press 1 to register. This can be done through any mobile operator. Dnet now aims to reach every mother and child in the country through Aponjon.

More information about Aponjon
‘Aponjon’ 10K subscribers’ milestone was reached at end of December 2012 and 500,000 subscribers in May 2014; then within four months (on 21 September 2014) they reached the milestone of 1 Million Aponjon subscribers. It shows an almost exponential growth in ‘Aponjon’ subscribers’ acquisition. It reached this growth with the support from USAID/Bangladesh, MaMoni HSS and outreach partners, Corporate Founding Partners at national and international levels, MAMA Global Partners, Telecommunication Partners & Technical Support Providers, Communication Partners, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOH&FW), Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and Dnet. Dnet, an ICT development organization and social enterprise of Bangladesh, launched Aponjon’s pilot phase in September, 2011 to reduce preventable maternal and child deaths by increasing the amount of information available to pregnant women, new mothers and their families. In August 2012, Aponjon was launched across Bangladesh and within two years the program reached almost all the districts.

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Professor Yunus welcomed the participants to the Lab and updated the audience  that 496 social business projects had been  presented in the 40 labs organized to date since January 2013, of which 471 had been approved for investment, most of which were already in operation.

At the 41st Lab held today, six new Nobin Udyokta (new entrepreneurs from Grameen Bank families) presented their business plans. Three of the six entrepreneurs were young women.

The businesses presented were Ranju Art Publicity of Mr Ranju Mia, which produces publicity materials ranging from visiting cards to banners; Hafsa Ladies Purse by Ms Hafsa Akter producing fancy ladies hand bags and purses; Tanbir Dairy Farm by Md Azad Hossain,  Nahar Nakshi Work producing embroidered quilts by Ms Lutfun Nahar and M/S Hashem Store by Abul Hashem Bhuiyan who has a store but also himself produces candles and “agar bati” (incense sticks),  and, finally, Fashion Gallery by Zosna Begum which is a retail stores selling ladies clothing.

Their presentations provided details of their business plans, details of the investment needed, monthly and annual profits, breakeven point for the business, and payback period of their investment. The projects were discussed in detail in plenary and in group discussions, and all six were approved for investment through social business funds as participants thought each business was well designed and had presented realistic business plans.

In addition, Grameen Telecom Trust signed two joint venture agreements with SDRS Solar Project and Red Worm Vermi Compost project for the launch of their social businesses. Grameen Shakti Samajik Byabosha Ltd also signed nine new Nobin Udyokta projects.

At the end of the event, Professor Muhammad Yunus noted that it was very good progress that nearly 500 new social businesses projects had been launched in the two years since the start of the Social Business Design Lab in January 2013. He said that the vast majority of them were Nobin Udyokta projects where the young people running the businesses had undertaken that they would not be job-seekers, rather they would be job-givers,  providing employment for themselves but also for others in their communities, which was an invaluable contribution to the national economy.

Professor Yunus invited everyone to attend the next two Social Business Design Labs which would be held on 17 January 2015 and 14 February 2015 respectively, as well as to the annual Social Business Day celebration which would take place in 2015 on 28 May.

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Hazardous waste is considered to be one of the prime dangersin Bangladesh and its negative implication to environment and occupational health and safety is widespread. This year’s theme at the conference was “Responsible business Conduct”, streamlined to address the host country’s issues. The conference aimed to deliberate on global perspectives and trends on responsible business conduct.Focus has been on waste management system and impacts in developing countries, where waste generation is comparatively very high due to low technology, poor or no infrastructure, lack of implementation, unskilled labour, policy framework, etc.

The conference is supported by Promotion of Social and Environmental Standards in the Industry (PSES), a joint project of the governments of Bangladesh and Germany, implemented by Deutsche GesellschaftfürInternationaleZusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.Swisscontact, CIRDAP and other international organizations have also been supporting the conference. PSES is the chief technical partner, adding values through its expertise on the subject of environment and waste management.

Stakeholders from all arenas including the government, private sector, NGOs, academia and International Agencies were invited to discuss different strategies to promote the transformation to a “green” environment.

S.K Sur Chowdhury, Deputy Governor of Bangladesh Bank, inaugurated the conference and addressed the occasion, among other eminent guests.

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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 Summit is taking place exactly 30 years after Lech Walesa, former Trade Union leader received Nobel Peace Prize for the successful leading of workers at strike in the Gdansk Shipyard, which led to historical downturn of the communist regime by means of negotiation and without violence. Lech Walesa is also celebrating his 70th birthday this year.

2006 Nobel Peace Laureate Professor Yunus spoke at opening session along with president de Clark of South Africa and President Lech Walesa. He also spoke in a plenary session entitled “Human Values in the Time of Crisis” together with the host – Lech Walesa as well as Maired Corrigan Maguire [honoured for attempts to resolve peacefully the conflict in the Northern Ireland] and Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal [who represented the United Nations – laureate of Nobel Peace Prize awarded symbolically at 100th anniversary of the prize].

Muhammad Yunus presented a special Nobel Summit Medal on behalf of the Laureates to Jerzy Owsiak, Polish social activist, well known in the country for his work with young people. In August every year, he organizes a music festival for young people, known as European Woodstock Festival, where over half a million young people create a city of tents. During the festival they meet opinion leaders, discuss current life issues and listens to rock music.

Thanking for the Medal, Jerzy Owsiak invited Professor Yunus to join him in the next Woodstock Festival in August 2014. Actress and activist Sharon Stone, who is also at the Summit to receive the Peace Summit Award from Professor Yunus on Wednesday, is also invited to attend the music festival.

On 22 October 2013 Professor Muhammad Yunus spoke in the session entitled “Unheard Voices. Inequalities in Social Justice” and on 23 October he will speak in the session on “Youth in Solidarity”.

Summit attracted some 1,500 young attendees from all over the world and representatives of the Polish public and business leaders. Laureates and their organizations will run Civic academy discussions and workshops every afternoon for the participating youth.

Yunus Centre organized two workshops on Social Business for students on 21 October afternoon and another for entrepreneurs on 22 October 2013. Prof Yunus will address the workshops together with other members of Yunus Centre team.

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The seminar was moderated by Rezaul Karim Chowdhury of EquityBD, Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud was present as the chief guest, other speakers of the seminar was Dr Ahasanuddin, CGC, Golam Rabbani BCAS, Qumrul Islam Chowdhury BEJF, Zakia Hoque of Oxfam_CSRL, Motahar Hossain of BCCJF,  Mizanur Rahman NCCB,  Progoti Chakma of BIPNetCCBD, Badrul Alam of Krishok Federation. Hasan Mehedi of Humanity Watch has presented the key note presentation.

Dr. Hasan Mahumd Minister for Environment and Forest who also leaded Bangladesh delegation in international climate negotiation for last five years has conceded that fact there was set back on climate migrants issue after 2010, which was fist officially accepted in Cancun climate agreement, it has lost momentum while countries reframe the time line in Durban agreement, i.e., new agreement should reach by 2015 and implementation after 2020. He declared that Bangladesh climate change strategic action plan will be revised and money allocation will be there to do research on climate migrants issue. He also said developed countries have to take responsibilities of climate induced migrants and UN refugee definition has to be revisited to accommodate them.

Qumrul Isalm Chowdhury of BEJF one of the long time climate negotiator said that Bangladesh delegation must demand a work program on climate migrants issue in next Poland conference so that there will be some agreement in Paris during 2015. Dr Ahsanuddin, cited a case from New Zeland that how a climate migrants from a pacific small island demand climate migrant rights in that developed countries. He urged Bangladesh must tell developed world that within its limited capacities the country is spending all most $ 1 billion per year for safety net program. Golam Rabbani of BCAS said that without preparing and implementing a national program on climate migrants Bangladesh claim in international level will be weak. Zakia Haque of Oxfam_CSRL mentioned that European Union and Oxfam in fact supporting both Bangladesh government and also civil society to strengthen there voice in international level.

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NGO News Desk ::

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It is inevitable to be attentive to address or mitigate the sufferings alongside the adaptation. People of 87 upazilas under 19 coastal districts experience direct impact of the climate change. They live fighting with the storms almost every day.

Scientists claim the global warming as one of the main causes behind environmental degradation that has been taken place across the globe. Increase of global warming is caused by the emission of green house gas due to different unusual activities by the human kind. Emission of green house gas has been influencing the climate change on the earth. Impact of climate changes has been attacking the developed, developing and undeveloped countries equally and likely to attack in future too. But, comparatively poor countries are more likely to face more hassle due to lack of financial and technical equality.

Heavy rainfall and rainless situation have been the aftermath of the climate changes. Temperature is fluctuating while floods and cyclones are appearing repeatedly. People of Bangladesh have experienced many natural disasters in last two years. Rain in winter is not an unusual incident now. The seasonal diversity has been hindered a lot. Excessive heat instead of rainfall in the rainy season has also become a common scenario.

This year, the experienced temperature was the highest over last 12 years. Seven to eight people died of heat-stroke. The average temperature of Chittagong has increased by 2.5 to 3.0 degree over last few days. The women and children have to suffer several times higher during flood, cyclone and tidal upsurge comparing to the man. River erosion or sea level rise directly or indirectly make the women and children helpless. The country was affected by three floods and four severe cyclones over last two years. A number of casualties were taken place in the disasters while millions of people left homeless and food security was hampered.

Miserable conditions of the hungry and homeless people at the coastal districts are often seen due to the natural disasters.  Frequent upsurge in the sea, cyclone and flood destroy crops on the farmland. Scarcity of drinking water appears which increases miseries of the women. The woman of a family has to collect food and drinking water for other members of the family. The women have also to do additional household chores along with repairing the damaged house. In a survey at Dimla under Nilphamari district, it was revealed that working women lose their income sources after any disaster. In that time, the women get busy with collecting relief. A total of 84.82 percent women run for pure drinking water. The women even have to face discrimination in taking food.  They take food after their husbands as a tradition.

According to a survey of voluntary organisation ‘Barnali’ at Kolapara under Patuakhali district, a total of 98.30 percent women take food after their husbands while 38.91 percent don’t get anything to eat. Sufferings of women and children increase during the natural disasters due to lack of sufficient heath care service too. Women cannot take care of their health during the drought, even if pass period. They have to face tremendous problem, when take shelter in the cyclone-centres after any disaster, in using toilets due to lack of separate arrangements for male and female which brings physical problems. Number of the cyclone shelters is less than the required number while most of the existing shelters are in risk. Major portion of the total 2,941 centres in the country are in different risks. Besides this, there is arrangement for only 2800 thousand people in the centres against total 40000 thousand people at the coastal areas. The women also face discrimination while stay inside the crowded centres.

Around 70 cyclones stormed in this region over last 200 years.  Floods hit the country almost every year. It is too tough to identify the number of women who lost life, got injured in disasters or sexually harassed in the shelter-centres. In this regard, Social Worker Jesmin Sultana Paru said “Natural disaster is happening and will happen in future. The women and children suffer much in the disasters. Considering it they should be rehabilitate to the safe place. If necessary, they should be rehabilitated on the government lands taking international assistance for ensuring their fundamental rights”.

According to the statistics of Bangladesh Statistics Bureau, total population of coastal districts is 35080 thousand. Among them, 107010 thousand are female and 107090 thousand are male. Population of the coastal belts increased over 800 thousand in last decade. Most of them are women and children. They are suffering from the climate change. Their miseries increased.

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NGO News Desk ::

In the 9 point demand the CSO representatives urged that in the AGM of ADB the Bangladesh government delegation should: 1) urge for ensuring ‘1 country 1 vote’ instead of existing voting percentage based on investment size; 2) urge for ensuring people’s participation and rights during approving any project according to the ADB’s policy and Bangladesh Constitution; 3) ask for making public the information on existing ADB projects and outcomes; 4) protest the blanket denationalization and liberalization strategies; 5) take position against the commercialization of natural resource; 6) deny the pressure on increasing the price of essential services; 7) protest and deny ADB’s intention of credit business using the climate issues; 8) protest imposing the PPP everywhere in development and 9) cancel the immunity given to ADB in 1973.

EquityBD, Humanity Watch and NGO Forum on ADB jointly organized the press conference where the 9 point demands were announced in a written statement which was read out by Mr. Hasan Mehedi, the Chief Executive of Humanity Watch and member of the forum. Others who spoke in the press conference are Syed Aminul Hoque of EquityBD, Rahela Rabbani of Karmajibi Nari, Shamim Arfin of AOSED, Javed Khalid Pasha Joy of Initiative for Right View (IRV), Mahfuzur Rahman Mukul of BELA and Kazi Hafizur Rahman of Swabalambi. Mustaga Kamal Akanda of EquityBD moderated the press conference.

In the written statement the organizers said that though ADB have 67 member countries but only 7 of them including USA and Japan have captured 51% vote and that’s why these 7 countries can take any decision over the rest. This is not an example of democracy. Rather they impose many unethical decisions over the borrowing countries like Bangladesh in a very undemocratic way. As ADB has been given immunity in 1973 by the then President of Bangladesh, it is not possible to bring them under law even if any of their project causes harm to the recipients. This anti-people immunity order should be cancelled.

Zaved Khalid Pasha said, Bangladesh is implementing 263 projects financed by ADB and most of them caused long term damages to the livelihood of the local community and environment. Even according to the ADB’s own evaluation, the Sundarbans Bio-diversity Conservation Project (SBCP) and Khulna-Jessore Drainage Rehabilitation Project (KJDRP) are the examples of their failure projects. Several hundred millions of Taka has been spent with no benefits, though Bangladesh had to shoulder the burden to repay this loan.

Syed Aminul Hoque of EquityBD said, ADB is liable for a huge unemployment in Bangladesh along with increased electricity and fuel price, making farmers dependent on the MNCs through imposing SAP and PRSP in Bangladesh by the blanket privatization of the state-owned industries, privatizing the electricity and power sector, squeezing the public service sectors and promoting the shrimp culture that destructed the ecosystem.

The speakers also urged the government delegation participating in the AGM of ADB should take strong position along with the like minded countries to democratize the ADB governance.

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Over the past five days, 25 international and local public health experts have participated in a workshop on ‘Enforcing Bangladesh’s Smokefree Laws,’organised by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) and held in the  for Development Management in Rajendrapur.

On the workshop’s closing day, 20 participating health leaders and experts from Bangladesh urged the Government to pass proposed amendments to the national smoke-free law without further delay, with the exception of the one allowing designated smoking areas in workplaces and restaurants. They expressed deep concern that these smoking areas would expose even those sitting in non-smoking sections of the building to dangerous secondhand smoke.  Studies have shown time and again that tobacco smoke can never be effectively contained.

In Bangladesh, the burden of the tobacco epidemic is high, with the deaths of 24% of men and 12% of women attributable to tobacco-related illnesses in 2004. Tobacco users are not the only ones vulnerable to the negative health effects of tobacco smoke. Secondhand smoke puts everyone around smokers at risk too. Exposure to secondhand smoke causes lung cancer, coronary heart disease and cardiac death; and also increases the risks of both TB infection and the development of active TB disease.  In children, secondhand smoke exposure causes acute lower respiratory tract infections, sudden infant death syndrome, middle ear infections and exacerbation of asthma.  Just 30 minutes of exposure to tobacco smoke changes the way in which blood flows and clots, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Mr Md. Humayun Kabir, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, opened the workshop on Saturday 19 January, stating that while there has been a lot of improvement, there are still weaknesses in Bangladesh’s smoke-free law that needed to be addressed.

The proposed amendment bill is scheduled for debate in Parliament in the next session, starting 27 January. The delegates from the workshop are ugently recommending that parliamentarians take this opportunity both to pass the law and to remove the concession that allows for designated smoking rooms.

Delegates at the workshop also expressed concern that there has been insufficient investment in training and empowering officers to enforce the 2005 Smoking and Using of Tobacco Products (Control) Act, which restricts smoking in public places such as healthcare and educational facilities.

The Union, which is supporting the efforts of over 40 countries to fulfil their commitments under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), also hopes to see the Government pass a 100% smokefree law, without any accommodation for designated smoking areas. Such a law will be in compliance with FCTC guidelines and ensure a safer smokefree future for Bangladesh.

About The Union

The mission of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) is to bring innovation, expertise, solutions and support to address health challenges in low- and middle-income populations. With nearly 10,000 members and subscribers from 150 countries, The Union has its headquarters in Paris and offices serving the Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, North America and South-East Asia regions. Its scientific departments focus on tuberculosis and HIV, lung health and non-communicable diseases, tobacco control and research. Learn more at www.theunion.org.

The Union has been working on tobacco control in Bangladesh since 2007 under the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use. Globally, the Department of Tobacco Control, been working to advance tobacco control in low- and middle-income countries for more than 25 years, with a focus on supporting effective tobacco control programmers though grants and promoting effective tobacco control through training, resources and research.

www.tobaccofreeunion.org.

About the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) is the first international public health treaty. It was adopted by the World Health Assembly on 21 May 2003 and entered into force on 27 February 2005. Among other measures to reduce the burden of the tobacco epidemic, the convention requires countries to protect their citizens from exposure to tobacco smoke. Bangladesh was an early signatory to the Convention in 2004.

https://www.who.int/fctc/about/en/index.html

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Staff Reporter :: BRAC organised a press conference on Wasfia Nazreen’s return to the country after her successful expedition to Mount Vinson, the highest point of Antarctica. She reached at Dhaka airport on 22^nd January at 9.20 am local time by Qatar Airways where she was received by BRAC officials. She reached the peak of Mount Vinson on 4^th January 2013, as the fourth leg of her “Bangladesh on Seven Summits” campaign which kicked off on 26^th March 2012.

Executive Director of BRAC Dr Mahabub Hossain, Head of Communication and Service Quality of BRAC Bank Zeeshan Kingshuk Huq, Head of Marketing Sania Mahmood from bKash, and Rashida Parveen from BRAC’s adolescent development programme were present at the press conference. Wasfia handed over the flag of Bangladesh, given to her on the flag-off ceremony of her expedition, to the ED, bKash and BRAC bank officials. The Mount Vinson expedition of Bangladesh on Seven Summits was supported by BRAC in collaboration with bKash Limited and BRAC Bank Limited. Wasfia Nazreen will also work as BRAC’s Goodwill Ambassador for the next one year to champion the cause of women empowerment. Congratulating Wasfia, Dr Mahabub Hossain said he hopes Wasfia “can be an idol for young girls and women to look up to, and that many young girls can draw inspiration from her”.

While sharing her experience of the expedition she mentioned that, “climbing Mount Vinson was a much tougher challenge than Mount Everest, due to cold winds and much lower temperature. However, I started Seven Summits to inspire girls, and I am proud to accomplish this with support from BRAC”.

Wasfia set off on her expedition with a flag-off ceremony on 8^th November 2012 to climb Mount Vinson. She reached Canada on 29^th November 2012 and underwent a three week long extensive training and acclimatisation in winter wilderness of Canada with Patrick Morrow, the first person in the world to have finished climbing the seven summits 30 years ago. Finally, she left for Antarctica from Chile on 29^th December 2012.

On the eve of Bangladesh turning 40, she had taken up the challenge of climbing the highest mountains of each of the seven continents to celebrate women’s progress of the last four decades and highlight to the world the resiliency of our people.

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The victim is one among thousands of unnamed women who fell prey to violence against women not just in India but in other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Gender-based violence robs off women of their rights, healthy well-being, and the opportunity to reach their full potential and dreams among others.

Gender-based violence happens in all areas of society from individuals, family, community up to the state level. Domestic violence, the most rampant form, happens inside the home and usually perpetrated on women by their own husband/partner which includes physical, sexual and psychological abuse. Various forms of violence are also common in public areas, schools and workplaces. Rape is among the most dehumanizing and vicious form of GBV. But the most devastating is when the state fails to sensitize the issue and instead tolerates the act due to traditional, cultural and religious norms.

Violence against women not only cause serious harm to women and their families but also paints a nation an ugly face and brings detrimental impact in its social and economic development. Recognizing these adverse effects, AFPPD has been working with parliamentarians and other stakeholders to end violence against women through active policy advocacy in 25 countries in the Asia Pacific region.

It is disheartening that so many women’s lives have been lost or ruined from pervasive incidence of gender-based violence. We, as individuals and as an organization must strive to protect our daughters, wives, granddaughters, mothers, grandmothers, nieces and female friends from any form of violence.

The AFPPD stands in solidarity with the people of India and the Indian Association of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (IAPPD) in ensuring that justice will be served on the 23-year old Indian woman gang-raped inside a moving bus in New Delhi. Much more, we will strive to look into policies that must strengthen empowerment of women and the state’s resolve to protect women from any form of violence.

May this painful incident serve as a call to action for policymakers particularly parliamentarians in Asia-Pacific countries to review their policies and look at the welfare and protect the rights of women and girls and ensure that laws are in place to protect them against any form of gender-based violence.

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Staff Correspondent :: Social Standards in the Textile Industry in Bangladesh needs to be improved in a sustainable manner. Raising awareness and strengthening the capacity
of the local resources on different international standards on social compliance can help the industry to move forward to achieve sustainable improvement. Hence, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH supported project “Promotion of Social and Environmental Standards in the Industry (PSES)”  has organized a Basic SA 8000 Auditor Course in November 2012 in Chittagong and an Advanced SA
8000 Lead Auditor Course in December 2012 in Dhaka by SAI (Social Accountability International) trainers for the compliance professionals  from
the factories, buyers, audit companies, associations, training institutes, Ministry of Labour & Employment (MoLE) and GIZ.

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Staff Correspondent ::

 “It is very reassuring to learn from this report that an initial public investment on the order of $5 billion over the next 10 to 20 years could be sufficient to catalyze many hundreds of billions of dollars in public and private finance,” said Dr. Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson of the GEF.  “We now have the right tools to identify and remove those market and policy failures which have unfortunately sped up the degradation of marine environments.  Our goal is to help both the public and private sectors create clear incentives and policies which will serve to protect the world’s oceans,” she added.

 The world’s oceans and coastal areas are the source of a variety of life-sustaining goods and services—including food, transport, oil and gas, tourism, and minerals.  Marine and coastal resources directly provide at least US$3 trillion annually in global economic output.

 “Oceans are an integral part of life on earth, regulating our climate and producing oxygen for the planet, yet they are under serious threat due to pollution, over-exploitation, habitat loss, invasive species, and climate change,” said Andrew Hudson, Head of UNDP’s Water & Ocean Governance Programme. “We need to improve the way we manage the oceans, before the damage is irreversible,” he said, adding that ocean degradation threatens the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people, primarily in the world’s least developed countries.

 Catalysing Ocean Finance: Transforming Markets to Restore & Protect the Global Ocean, issued jointly with the GEF, shows that the accelerating degradation of the marine environment stems primarily from market and policy failures, leading to the over-exploitation of fisheries, skyrocketing hypoxic (low oxygen) zones in coastal areas, continued introductions of destructive alien species, and increased ocean acidification.

These market and policy failures have led both the private and public sectors to under-invest in environmental protection measures, such as wastewa­ter treatment and coastal habitat protection, and over-invest in activities detrimental to the marine environment, including over-fishing and chemically intensive agri­culture.

Over the last two decades, UNDP and the GEF have successfully developed a suite of ocean strategic planning tools that have proven successful at creating enabling policy environments to catalyse investment for restoring and protecting the marine environment.

From reversing the Black Sea’s enormous ”dead zone” to reducing the risk from invasive species in ship ballast water, to moving forty percent of the world’s tuna fisheries in the Pacific towards sustainability, Catalysing Ocean Finance documents the tangible impacts of these instruments and approaches.

Using 20 years of UNDP-GEF experience on costs and impacts of ocean protection efforts as proxies, the report estimates the costs of scaling up these tools at a global level to address key ocean threats comprehensively. Catalysing Ocean Finance demonstrates how a modest investment of public finance can scale up proven ocean planning and policy tools, leverage financial flows, transform ocean markets, and reverse the global decline in ocean health.

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NGO NEWS Report ::

Following decades of censorship, Myanmar is in the process of liberalizing its media institutions. Deutsche Welle is assisting this transformation via its international center for media development, DW Akademie. It is currently hosting a high-ranking delegation from Myanmar, including Ye Htut, deputy minister of the Myanmar Ministry of Information, seven representatives from the state-run Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV) and the Director of the country’ first semi-private TV-station MRTV 4.

Aside from Deutsche Welle’s headquarters in Bonn and TV studios in Berlin, the schedule includes visits to the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Press Office, the German Federation of Journalists (DJV), the ARD network of public service broadcasters and regional broadcasters Berlin-Brandenburg Broadcasting (RBB) and Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR).

At the various stops, the visitors are taking part in discussions and lectures on the role of the media in society and politics. Experts from the field are contributing their insights into the challenges of media restructuring and how established theories can be applied to Myanmar today. Many have drawn from their experiences with the change in the German media landscape following the reunification of East and West Germany. The key question is whether the German public service broadcasting system could serve as a model for Myanmar.

Years of cooperation

DW Akademie started providing training projects for media organizations in Myanmar in 2007. In 2009, it became involved in the establishment of the Myanmar Media Development Center (MMDC) – set up by MRTV-4. The process, which took three years, was also supported by the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) and Germany’s Friedrich Ebert Foundation.

The MMDC opened in July 2012, with DW Akademie providing preliminary training for prospective TV professionals, followed by training for media producers in how to be trainers themselves. The graduates of the train-the-trainer workshop are to become teachers at the MMDC.

“A functional democracy needs a vital media landscape,” commented Gerda Meuer, Managing Director of DW Akademie. “This is why supporting the media transformation in Myanmar is the right thing to do. It’s very pleasing to see that our continuing work there is bearing fruit.”

DW Akademie is continuing its involvement at the MMDC, with more courses and workshops planned for 2013. It will also coordinate future international support for the basic and advanced training of media professionals in Myanmar and for the establishment of vocational institutes. A DW Akademie staff member has been stationed in Myanmar to work together with local partners. These efforts represent part of a sweeping plan for media development in the country.

Since February 2012, Deutsche Welle’s English-language TV channel DW has been available in Myanmar via direct-to-home provider Skynet – a nationwide network that offers telephone and Internet services in addition to television.

DW programming is also available on a number of other platforms in Myanmar, including the Forever Group’s pay TV network, which makes DW along with other international channels available to Myanmar audiences. Myawady TV (MWD), Myanmar’s second-largest TV station, as well as the popular state-run MRTV broadcast select DW programs and magazines such as Journal, Tomorrow Today and In Good Shape.

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