The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

Speakers at a meeting on Monday said capacity building of institutions and professionals has been considered instrumental for sharing and exchanging information, knowledge, experience, expertise and best practices for attaining the ICPD goals and MDGs.

They emphasised the need for strengthening the partnership through capacity building of partner institutions for achieving International Conference for the Population and Development (ICPD) goals and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The speakers were speaking at the inaugural function of three-day international consultative meeting on 'Networking among partners institutions' in a city hotel here.

Partners in Population and Development (PPD) in association with UNFPA organised the meeting.

Health and Family Welfare Secretary AKM Zafar Ullah Khan spoke on the occasion as the chief guest while Executive Director of the PPD Harry Jooseery presided over it.

Deputy Representative of UNFPA Bangladesh Pornchai Suchitta, Rabbi Royan of UNFPA and Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Family Welfare Quamrun Nahar Khanam spoke in the meeting.

Zafar Ullah Khan said the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) fell from 6.4 in mid 1970s to three in 2004 and population growth rate declined from three per cent to less than 1.5 per cent in same period.

He said Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) has increased to 58 percent in 2004 from 48 per cent in 1994 with increasing use of modern methods.

The health secretary said "We sincerely look forward to strengthen our partnership and expand our united efforts to achieve tangible and sustainable development in the field of reproductive health services and rights, family planning and population in developing countries".

Harry Jooseery said "Global warming, environmental degradation, rising food crisis, increasing displaced population, and an ever increasing erosion of the purchasing power worldwide, with prices of fuel escalating day by day are all interconnected and likely to affect the very existence of human species on earth, if we do not act responsibly now".

He said no regional, continental or global problem could be solved, unless there is a concerted effort and partnership building among nations.

Pornchai Suchitta said well functioning national and local institutions are key to ongoing societal, economic and human development.

He said by developing capacities on this scale, countries could create a strong foundation for achieving International Conference for the Population and Development (ICPD) goals and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).