Bangladesh cities learn more about ICLEI ACCCRN Process as tool to strengthen urban resilience
The “First National Annual Conference on Urban Resilience” was organised by International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD), Independent University of Bangladesh (IUB), and Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN), Bangladesh, in Dhaka from December 17-19, 2016.
The Conference highlighted the sustainable urban development goals and ways to make cities resilient. At the conference, participants from national and local governments, non-government organisations, private sector, academics and communities gathered to discuss the latest developments in urban resilience practice and policy.
With support from Municipal Association of Bangladesh (MAB), ICLEI South Asia conducted a parallel session in this conference on "Building Community Engagement to Enhance Urban Resilience".
With support from Rockefeller Foundation, ICLEI South Asia worked with seven cities in Bangladesh under Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) Project to strengthen urban resilience using the ICLEI ACCCRN Process (IAP) tool kit. The toolkit is centered on active stakeholder engagement which includes government, local NGOs, development organisations, academia, local community representatives and the private sector that are engaged through Shared Learning Dialogues (SLDs). The session helped to promote the effectiveness of the IAP tool for better understanding of a city’s vulnerabilities and resilience actions and highlighted the role of stakeholder engagement in forming a city resailience strategy (CRS).
During the session, Ms. Bedoshruti Sadhukhan, Programme Coordinator, Sustainability, ICLEI South Asia presented the role of the IAP in encouraging stakeholder engagement for a robust resilience building process. The Mayor from Mongla spoke about the benefits of using the IAP process in making the CRS for the Bangladesh cityand the Chief Health Officer of Barisal presented how they were able to link the CRS with funding opportunities that were emerging in the city. The President of MAB, Mr. Abdul Baten, who is also the mayor of Bera Municipality endorsed the role of participatory development and Mr. Shamim Al Razi from LG Net acknowledged the role of institutions such as ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability and MAB in experience and knowledge sharing between cities.
The session participants appreciated the IAP as an effective tool for resilience planning processes in the cities of Bangladesh.