Training workshops in Sirajganj and Satkhira address key challenges and good practices.

ICLEI South Asia conducted a series of capacity-building workshops from the 14^th to 16^th of March 2022 in Sirajganj, and from the 21^st to the 23^rd of March in Satkhira. These sessions are a part of the Climate Resilient Inclusive Smart Cities (CRISC) technical cooperation project, which is being implemented in Bangladesh by GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

These capacity-building workshops are aimed to provide knowledge on the inclusion of climate components into urban planning processes at both national professional and managerial staff of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), Urban Development Directorate (UDD), and local government institutions (Satkhira and Sirajganj Municipality). It is envisaged that the workshops will build their capacity to undertake and develop projects using this climate inclusion approach into the development process and take investment decisions for climate-resilient and inclusive urban development. ICLEI South Asia has undertaken the training of local and national actors, and in organizing policy dialogues and peer-to-peer exchange sessions for knowledge exchange.

The present training focused on the basics of urban planning, such as its definition, objectives, benefits, and other aspects, and gave an overview of national agencies that develop various plans for different regions. The challenges in implementation, key development policies of the master plan, and effective ways of integrating urban development plans into national policies were also highlighted. 60 participants each attended the workshops in Sirajganj and Satkhira. These groups included representatives from the Town Level Coordination Committee, Standing Committee, and technical staff of the two cities’ municipalities.

Participants at the training specifically learned about:

• Developing a master plan
• Identification of major challenges in implementing it
• Initiatives they could take to implement it

“Through this training, I got the right information about various topics that are needed to prepare the master plan. We need more training sessions like this in the future.” – Ms. Anima Rani Mondal, reserve woman councilor, wards (04, 05, 06), Satkhira Municipality

Md. Masud Rana, Administrative Officer, Sirajganj Municipality, observed that “the participation of the general public must be ensured during the formulation of the master plan”.

The workshops focused on the relevance of urban planning in the implementation of national development plans. These included an understanding of:

• Basics of urban planning
• Key urban planning agencies in Bangladesh and their contributions to this sector
• Supporting urban planning laws and the relationship between urban planning and national development
• Integration of urban development plans into the national planning process

Along with lectures, presentations, and interactive exercises, the participants also received additional resources such as training manuals and handouts so they can continue their studies at their leisure.

Participants engaged in an evaluation workshop following each session.

ICLEI South Asia will soon conduct capacity-building sessions on the climate change adaptation in cities and the social inclusion aspect of localizing sustainable development goals in cities. These sessions will include participants from the Urban Development Directorate and Local Government Engineering Department, among others.