After 13 years, Bangladesh has been elected as the President of the Governing Council of the Center for Integrated Rural Development in the Asia-Pacific Region (SIRDAP).
In the 24th meeting of Sirdap’s Governing Council held in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand on Thursday (June 6), the Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives supported the representatives of the member states. Tajul Islam was elected president for the next two years.
A three-day meeting of Sirdap’s Governing Council was held in Bangkok from June 4 to 6. In the meeting, member states discussed in detail about the performance of the Center to achieve specific goals.
On the closing day on Thursday, Bangladesh was elected as the President of the Governing Council for the next two years till 2026. The newly elected President of Sirdap, Minister of Local Government presided over the Governing Council meeting. Tajul Islam
In the speech of the President, Tajul Islam said, the journey of Sirdap started in a charming environment in Bangladesh Rural Development Academy. Since its inception, it has played a leading role as an independent institution in training, research and policy making for integrated rural development. We would like to emphasize the mandate and organizational philosophy of SIRDAP to play a role in poverty alleviation in Asia and the Pacific.
Regarding the future course of action of SIRDAP, the minister said, we need to know why SIRDAP is failing to fulfill the aspirations of millions of rural poor in the region. The support and cooperation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which is the international leader, should be emphasized. To make the organization more effective and up-to-date, specific actions should be taken.
Referring to Bangladesh’s international recognition in various fields, the local government minister also said that Bangladesh has achieved international recognition in microcredit, poverty alleviation, social safety net, disaster management, food security, primary education, vaccination and combating infectious diseases. Since rural development is a priority agenda of our country, we want to move forward shoulder to shoulder through mutual cooperation with SIRDP member states and other regional and global organizations.
The meeting of the Executive Council of Sirdap was held on June 4 and 5 before the Governing Council meeting. Rural Development and Cooperative Department Secretary Mosammat Shahanara Khatun participated in the meeting on behalf of Bangladesh. Also, representatives of Sirdap member states India, Malaysia, Thailand, Fiji, Iran were present in the Governing Council meeting.
IHR/EA/GKS
