Roundtables

Women’s contribution to agriculture and access to land: Covid-19 and beyond

The issue of women’s contribution to agriculture as well as access to land is a crucial issue but it is not given proper recognition. Women play a huge role in agriculture, be it the cultivation of land or processing of the produce or even in households.
6 February 2021, 18:00 PM

Ensuring land and food rights at the time of COVID-19 and beyond

Two-thirds of the world’s population and two-thirds of the poor people live in Asia. The poverty situation and vulnerabilities of the marginal farmers and the various marginal communities are of great concern to us. This COVID-19 situation is very critical for their existence.
24 January 2021, 18:00 PM

Inclusion, cultural integrity and land rights of the Indigenous Peoples in Asia

Solidarity and coordination among the indigenous peoples (IPs) in different countries of Asia are very important. In Bangladesh, about two percent of the population consists of IPs.
12 January 2021, 18:00 PM

Impact of COVID-19 on the life and livelihood of persons with disabilities (PWD): How to overcome the challenges

Till now, a total of around 4.5 lakh COVID-19 cases have been reported in Bangladesh. The rate of infections has started peaking again recently and this has gotten us all worried about the impact this second wave might have on the country and its people.
16 December 2020, 18:00 PM

Pandemic and Disaster - Life of women and girls in climate-vulnerable areas

This particular study was conducted to observe the collective effects of the pandemic and the climate crisis on women in Bangladesh, especially the ones living in disaster-prone areas. Today’s discussion has two main objectives: to showcase the study findings and to find a way to tackle the challenges.
16 December 2020, 18:00 PM

Climate Risk Insurance and Pay-out of the Flood Insurance Product

In our journey, Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and UNWFP supported Oxfam in Bangladesh as a funding organisation.
14 December 2020, 18:00 PM

Young People Igniting Transformation – Youth Innovation Challenge 2020

ActionAid has been working in the field of the development of the youth for decades through its multiple programmes. ActionAid has dedicated programmes for youth development which includes leadership skills that encourages them to make contributions to society and solve problems in innovative ways.
8 December 2020, 18:00 PM

Importance of incorporation of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) education in the National Curriculum for the prevention of sexual violence

People speak about how our society, values, culture, family bond, and reputation are in ruins. However, we know that many aspects of our traditions go against women and their equal rights. Even our literature promotes child marriage and depicts girls as a burden for their families.
1 December 2020, 18:00 PM

Food Sovereignty, Inclusive Food System and Access to Land

World Food Day 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of FAO in an exceptional moment as countries around the world deal with the widespread effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic. On this momentous occasion, The Daily Star and ALRD have come together to arrange today’s discussion.
29 November 2020, 18:00 PM

Water Policy and Public Rights

The rural population in our country have been facing various issues in regards to the accessibility of water. Our discussion today will bring attention to these issues related to the management of the water bodies in the rural areas and its effects on our marginalised population.
25 November 2020, 18:00 PM

TRM is the most appropriate option

Today’s topic of discussion is “ Sustainable river basin management to solve the waterlogging crisis of south-west Bangladesh” We will be analysing the problems with Bangladesh’s water body management and drainage system and try to find solutions to such issues.
17 November 2020, 18:00 PM

Bridging food system gaps and ensuring access to safe milk in Bangladesh: The role of UHT technology

Even though Bangladesh is self-sufficient in food production, there remains a debate on whether proper nutrition is being ensured. Many
31 October 2020, 18:00 PM

COVID-19 Impact on selected RMG factories and way forward

All associations and people who are working at the grassroots level for the rights of workers want to see workers in better conditions, whether that be at the workplace or outside of it.
23 October 2020, 18:00 PM

Protection of river to save agricultural economy, life-livelihood and environment: Role of state and citizens

For almost a decade, we have been celebrating the annual ‘World River Day’ on the last Sunday of September. One of the main reasons for this is to raise public awareness.
21 October 2020, 18:00 PM

Standard materials for safe construction

Maintaining standards for construction is a responsibility which is not easy to undertake yet is of great importance. The longevity of the structures should be prioritised when it comes to construction projects. Construction should have no option for compromise of standards. That way, public safety and interest can be safeguarded.
20 October 2020, 18:00 PM

Digital Bangladesh 2021: Payment systems and fintech

Bangladesh has made immense progress in digital payments over the last decade or so. From the demand side, about 7.7 percent of the population make payments using mobile wallets. Nonetheless, there is still room for growth. There are a lot of new opportunities in the horizon.
7 October 2020, 18:00 PM

Youth: Larger share of population, what share in making decisions?

The existing policy framework and practices do not allow young people, particularly young women from excluded and marginalised communities, to engage and contribute meaningfully.
22 September 2020, 18:00 PM

Supporting small and medium enterprises through the Covid-19 pandemic

We are aware that the SME sector is going through a difficult phase due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, there are about 78 lakh SMEs in Bangladesh, with 25 million workers working in the SME sector.
2 September 2020, 18:00 PM

Future of G2P in Bangladesh: The case of social protection system

Many social protection programmes which are operating under different ministries need to be consolidated; otherwise, there will be multiplication of the same process.
28 August 2020, 18:00 PM