The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

Adviser for LGRD and Cooperatives Mohammad Anwarul Iqbal yesterday underlined the need for reviewing the rural development and poverty reduction policies being implemented in the Asia-Pacific region keeping pace with the fast changing world.

"The agrarian reforms and rural development must be conceptualized with the emerging needs and priorities," he said while inaugurating a two-day researchers' meeting at CIRDAP (Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific) auditorium here, which is also the centre's headquarter.

The title of meeting was 'Strategic and Institutional Perspectives of CIRDAP: Revisiting its Role in the Changing Context'. In line with the proposed ministerial level meeting on rural development in 2009, to be hosted by Bangladesh, CIRDAP has initiated country level studies covering all of its 14 members countries, for reviewing the previous policies and programmes on rural development and poverty alleviation and identify policy level issues and concerns.

Researchers and country representatives of the member states, participating the meeting, will interact on the basic approach, parameters and format of the county level study and finalise their design which will be placed at the ministerial level meeting. Rural Development and Cooperative Division Secretary Muhammad Nazrul Islam chaired the inaugural session while Director General of CIRDAP Durga P Paudyal delivered speech of welcome.

Consultant of CIRDAP Dr S Narayan briefed about the research meeting and Director Research of the centre Dr Nasreen Khandker gave vote of thanks. Anwarul Iqbal said, despite of remarkable achievements with regard to agriculture, rural development and poverty alleviation over the past few decades in the countries of the Asia-Pacific region, it still holds nearly three quarter of the world's poor.

While some countries have been successful in reducing poverty, there were considerable disparities between rural and urban areas, remote and inaccessible regions, and between gender and ethnic communities, he said.