PRSP PREPARATION Participatory Consultation

1. PRSP PREPARATIONParticipatory Consultation Dr. Quazi Mesbahuddin Ahmed Member, General Economics Division & Member-secretary, NSC Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

2. General Guidelines Goals and objectives of the discussion-meetings • Participatory consultation is deemed to be an integral and important part of the process of preparing the full-blown PRSP • Government will attempt to prepare the document fully taking into account the views of people on development priorities, policies, strategies and programs. Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

3. Goals and Objectives (contd.) • Stakeholder Groups Included in Consultation Meetings • organizations of asset-less people, human rights organizations, environmental organizations, representatives from the civil society, women’s forum and those involved in women’s development • cooperatives, journalists, research institutes, professional groups, distinguished individuals, locally- funded NGOs, private investors, and government agencies Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

4. Characteristics of Consultation Meetings • Both general and subject-specific discussions, with focus on the latter • Identifying problems as well as providing suggestions and directions on how to address/ solve them Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

5. Characteristics of Consultation Meetings (contd.) • Discussion needs to be responsive to the current situation and as specific as possible • Discussions on regional issues which vary from region to region should nonetheless be in the context of the state of national development Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

6. Structure of consultation meetings • Involvement of different stakeholders from various regions and socio-economic groups • Number of break-out groups to deliberate on separate subjects/themes • Discussions (general and subject-specific) based on outlines provided by NPFP • Free discussions • Presentation, consolidation and finalization of group-based recommendations Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

7. National-Level Consultation Features • Participants and their suggested numbers: • Civil society representatives : 48 • Academics : 20 • NGO representatives : 50 • Various organization : 32 • Ministries and govt. agencies : 50 • Total : 200 Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

8. Features(contd.) • Thematic Discussion Groups Thirteen thematic discussion-groups will carry out deliberations separately on • Macroeconomic stability and pro-poor growth : financial sector reform (including banking, trade and globalization); and mobilization of domestic resources; • Private sector development Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

9. Thematic Discussion Groups(Contd.) • Infrastructure: roads, rail, inland water transportation, information and communication technology (ICT) and telecommunication); development of power, petroleum, and energy sector • Establishing good governance (civil service reform, judicial reform, improvement of law and order, and strengthening local government) Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

10. Thematic Discussion Groups(Contd.) • Health (including population planning, nutrition and sanitation) • Education (including primary and mass education, women’s education, technical and vocational training) • Developing conditions of women and children and establishing their rights Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

11. Thematic Discussion Groups(Contd.) • Rural development (including food security, disaster management and social protection, micro-credit and expansion of rural non-farm activities, employment generation and development of growth centers) • Agricultural development (including crops, special cash crops such as tea, rubber, etc., fisheries, livestock, agricultural and bio-technology) Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

12. Thematic Discussion Groups(Contd.) • Environmental protection and development (forestry, bio-diversity, land reforms and land use and supply of safe water) • Water resources management • Development of tribal groups and disadvantaged people (physically, mentally, and socially) • Housing Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

13. Chairman/Moderator of Groups Chairman/Moderator of each Group will ensure that: • Discussion is on right track • Everyone participates in the discussion and expresses free and frank views • Opinions/recommendations are properly recorded Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

14. Group Discussion • Rapporteur: NPFP officials will act as rapporteurs • Structure of group discussion: • General discussion : 20 min. (Views of the group on the nature, severity and causes of poverty and suggested actions to address them) • Discussion on the topic: 1 hr. 20 min. • Formulating recommendations: 20 min. Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

15. Steps in Topical Discussion • What targets could be set in various sectors for June 2006 • What strategies will need to be adopted to achieve those objectives • What programs/measures will need to be undertaken in order to implement the strategies • What should be the blueprint/plan of the above programs and how should they be implemented in order to have the maximum possible benefit for the poor Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

16. Directions/Dimensions of Group Discussions • Pro-Poor Growth • Gender Equity • Sectoral Good Governance • Sectoral Programs • Urban and Rural context • Socio-economic classes • Balanced regional development • Environment-friendly and sustainable development Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

17. Plenary Session • Group Presentation • Open Discussion • Finalization of Recommendations Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

18. Regional-level Consultation Meetings • Regional consultations to be organized by NPFP in each of the 6 Divisional towns • NPFP and Divisional Commissioners will jointly arrange consultation meetings • Participants (200) will be selected by Divisional Commissioners following certain specific guidelines catering to the needs of group discussions Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

19. Discussion Groups • Communications – roads, railway, inland water transport, ICT and telecommunications • Power and energy sector development • Establishment of good governance – civil service reforms, reform of the judiciary, improvement of law and order and strengthening of local governments • Health, population planning, nutrition and sanitation Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

20. Discussion Groups (contd.) • Education – primary and mass education, female education, technical and vocational education • Rural Development – food security, disaster management and social safety nets, micro-credit and expansion of non-farm activities, employment and growth centre • Agriculture – crops, special crops (tea, rubber, horticulture), fisheries, livestock, agriculture and biotechnology. Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

21. Discussion Groups (contd.) • Environmental protection and development • Developing conditions of women and children and establishing their rights • Water resources management • Development of tribal people and the disadvantaged groups • Housing Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

22. We Hope that the Consultation process would provide us with valuable insights for PRSP preparation. Thank You All Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh