20th year, 4th issue, October to December 2016, Reg: No. 82/97

Quarterly Newsletter of the NGO Forum for Public Health

Bangladesh is spot on in addressing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and consequently acknowledges its great resource water to be protected and better managed. This has been rea�rmed through honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Seven-point Agenda statement in the Budapest Water Summit 2016 drawing heads of state and government of di�erent countries. The Budapest Water Summit 2016 was hosted under the patronage of H.E. Mr János Áder, President of Hungary and Member of the High Level Panel on Water convened by the UN Secretary-General and the President of the World Bank Group, Hungary from 28-30 November 2016. The aim of the three-day global event was to promote in a very concrete manner the implementation of the sustainable development water goal and all related targets on water and sanitation, as well as to achieve progress on the implementation of the water-related aspects of the Paris Climate Agreement. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a member of UN High Level Panel on Water (HLPW), laid out the Seven-point Agenda being the

The Seven-point Agenda as laid out by the honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina:

Source: The Daily Star, December 11, 2016

Water should be the integral part of any development endeavor at national, regional and global level as “Agenda 2030 have su�ciently articulated the inter-linkages and interfaces between water and wider sustainable development architecture”.

Special focus needs to be paid to people or group who is usually left behind as millions of people around the world face di�culties to access safe drinking water and basic sanitation.

It is urgent to sought to build resilience to water related disasters “as water is one area where climate vulnerable countries are intensely challenged”.

E�ective management of trans-boundary river water is very important as scarcity is not the main cause for persisting water crisis but the problem is also linked with equitable distribution.

Since water is extensively used for agricultural development and food security, “e�orts should continue to develop less water-intensive varieties of crops and water e�cient technologies”.

Every country needs to share with each other our ‘light-house initiatives’ to further develop our knowledge, capacity, skill and technique in terms of development and e�cient use of water resources.

A global fund on water is absolutely important to support research, innovation, technology transfer to realize the water related gals and targets.

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head of government of riverine Bangladesh. She particularly drew emphasis on formulating an appropriate policy towards e�ective management of trans-boundary river water and equitable distribution of the resource for reducing the persisting water crisis.

Spotlight on Water as Integral Part of Any Development Endeavor

Remote Hills in Rangamati Experiences Safe Water Supply at Doorsteps

The entire hill is rejoicing the arrival of drinking water within their domestic premises. Their source of rejoice was centered around a Gravity Flow System (GFS) that relieved the burden of collecting water from distant arduous hilly path for 45 families living in the valley. Another 36 neighbouring hilly families also made additional arrangements on their own to enjoy the GFS facility. The GFS technology was installed by NGO Forum in collaboration with the Ghilachhari Union Parishad, local implementing PNGO Progressive and with the �nancial

Ghilachhari union under Naniarchar upazila, Rangamati hill district. Through the Visit, local journalists, Ghilachhari Union Parishad, and members of Regional Administration of CHT besides NGO Forum’s central and regional management sta� experienced the technological and programmatic process of installing a GFS for the remote and scattered hilly households. The overall objective of the Exposure Visit focused on sharing learning and ensuring a cross-fertilization of the potentials of WaSH-governance following the community-managed approach, and �nally opening the opportunity for replication of the merits of the Model in other programme �elds.

support of European Union. An exposure visit on "WaSH Governance following Community Management and Social Accountability Performed by VDC and Union Parisad" took place on 22 November 2016 at Chaichhari Para village of

NGO Forum Observes 16 days of Activism against Gender ViolenceNGO Forum observed the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence as part of being in unity with this worldwide observance to raise awareness for preventing violence against women and girls. The 16 Days of Activism begins on 25 November, which is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women up till 10 December each year. The UN Secretary-General's UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign set the theme for the 16 days campaign in 2015 as 'Orange the World: End Violence against Women and Girls' given that the initiative takes place in the particular context of the adoption of the

2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. This year the Forum along with its partner NGOs organized meetings, rallies and video shows in its working areas under Barguna, Bogra and Sylhet. The meetings were held on Violence Against Women and Marjaday Gori Samata with di�erent stakeholders and bene�ciaries.

Commitment to Join Hands in Enhancing GovernanceThe district and upazila administrations of Barguna, Bogra and Sylhet have expressed commitment in extending their cooperation in promoting projects that boosts governance practices. The commitment was shared in the advocacy meetings organized by NGO Forum for Public Health with the support of Manusher Jonno Foundation with upazila and district administrations involving the CSO Forum under its “Sensitizing the Pro-poor Service Promotion Securing Rights and Governance” intervention. Najmul Alam, UNO (Acting), Amtoli upazila, Barguna;

Tahamina Khatun, Deputy Director, Primary Education, Sylhet Division; and S.A.M. Ra�qunnabi, DDLG (Acting DC), Bogra participated as Chief Guests in these Meetings. Najmul Alam urged the community people to inform his o�ce of any irregularities at any level of authority. Tahamina Khatun especially highlighted the use of social accountability tools and mentioned that it develops impressive relationship between both the parties of supply and demand side. Sahidur Islam Khan said that the people of our country are now more aware and the

country is developing day by day and NGOs are playing a vital role. He expressed his collaboration towards smooth implementation of any kind of intervention with the spirit that development is not possible if the Government and NGOs do not work jointly.

In Barguna, the Meeting was chaired by Mst. Rahana Mahabub Chairman of CSO Forum. In Sylhet, the Meeting was chaired by CSO Forum Chairman Giash Uddin while Asrafun Nahar, CSO Chairman of Bogra presided over the Meeting in Bogra. The objectives of the meeting were to improve linkage between service providers, service

recipients & Civil Society Organizations and sharing output-wise progress of the governance focused project intervention. The overall achievements, learning, challenges and way forward of the Project was also discussed with the stakeholders. The meetings were held on November 24, 2016 at the UNO O�ce Conference Room, Amtoli upazila, Barguna district; at NGO Forum’s Regional O�ce-cum Training Centre in Sylhet on December 12, 2016; and at NGO Forum’s Regional O�ce-cum Training Center in Bogra on December 14, 2016.

National Water Convention Presses on Policy Direction forAvailability and Access to Quality Water

The country’s top water experts gathered at the two-day National Water Convention titled Sustainable Water Regime in Bangladesh: Availability, Management, Access at PKSF Auditorium in Dhaka on 28-29 December 2016 came up with the direction to draw a water policy that would regulate availability and access of water resources. Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud, MP, Honorable Minister, Ministry of Water Resources, the Chief Guest of the inaugural ceremony of the Convention supported the urge and stated that the Government would look forward towards framing such policy direction.

In explaining water resources management, Barrister

Anisul Islam Mahmud stated that the government’s focus is now shifting towards river management as a part of comprehensive water resources management. The comprehensive river management would cover the main causes of water crisis in Bangladesh which are the withdrawal of water at the upstream and illegal activities surrounding the water bodies. Pollution of river water is another major cause for unavailability of water. The Water Resources Minister stressed on turning the attention towards conservation of the water bodies as a crucial step to ensure e�ective management of the 80% of the water �ow that we receive within a short span of four months every

Views expressed in WatSan are not necessarily those of NGO Forum for Public Health while

they are certainly those of authors.

EUROPEAN UNION

Development Partner NGO FORUMFOR PUBLIC HEALTH

EditorS.M.A. Rashid

Executive EditorJoseph Halder

Assistant EditorJubaida Akhter

Editorial Advisory BoardProfessor Dr. Ainun NishatDulal Chandra Biswas

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NGO Forum for Public Health4/6, Block-E, Lalmatia, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh, Phone: 58154273-4, 8128258, Fax: +88-02-9141234

E-mail: ngof@bangla.net, aic@ngof.org, Website: www.ngof.org, Printed by: Ma Printing 60/D, Purana Paltan, Dhaka-1000Free distribution in Bangladesh only

year. Stating river management as a major area of water management, the Minister informed that even within the country, the country has lost one to one and a half thousand square kilometers of landmass due to illegal encroachment of water bodies. He explained that unless the question over utilization of water could be answered, this would instead turn into a losing factor for Bangladesh in future negotiations at regional level.

Eminent socio-economic specialist and Chairman of Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) Dr. Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad laid his emphasis on the deep connectivity between water and poverty. Bringing up the fact that 70% of the climate change e�ects was taking place through water, he described the three bene�ts that e�ective water resources management would generate for the poor and the entire country. According to the socio-economic specialist, this would contribute in reducing poverty, discrimination centering availability and access, and in increasing national income in sustainable manner.

Prof. Dr. Ainun Nishat, Professor Emeritus, BRAC University and the country’s top water expert suggested engaging local communities in the decision-making and maintenance process of water resources management, as committed in the Bangladesh Water Act 2013. He also mentioned that the Government has to address the highly challenging local power dynamics for ensuring implementing water policies.

In his introductory remarks, S.M.A. Rashid, Executive

Director, NGO Forum highlighted the signi�cance of implementing Prime Minister’s global call of a 7-point Agenda for achieving the SDGs by 2030. Dr. Nilufer Banu, Executive Director, Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad (BUP) appraised government’s increased attention to the water resources management issues and e�orts to resolve these through engagement of public discourse in recent times.

The two-day National Water Convention was jointly hosted by PKSF, BUP and NGO Forum for Public Health on 28-29 December 2016 in Dhaka. Major recommendations were drawn based on key-note papers presented by eminent water experts, renowned academicians, researchers, top government o�cials international & national NGO professionals in 13 technical sessions centering key water management issues of the country.