Save the Children in Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) are set to work together to ensure the importance of children’s rights and views in local and national urban planning policies and initiatives.
The organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at a hotel in Dhaka on Sunday to institutionalize the decision, says a press release.
They will work together to develop a child-sensitive urban planning manual, support each other to arrange everything and provide training to urban planners on child-sensitive city planning.
They will also continue advocacy to incorporate child-sensitive issues into government planning and guiding documents, and jointly collaborate with universities to incorporate Child sensitive urban planning courses in the university curriculum, the statement added.
Prof Dr Akter Mahmud, president of BIP, said: “Building a child-friendly city is a challenge, a challenge that might be difficult but not impossible. We need to work. Planning and building process of the cities should be democratic where children’s voices will be heard.”
Onno van Manen, country director of Save the Children in Bangladesh, said: “The future world will be very difficult for children if we do not start working now. I believe that this initiative of working together will bring benefits to a greater extent to build a child-friendly city.”
Among others, Mostak Hussain, humanitarian director of Save the Children in Bangladesh, Simon Rahman, manager of Urban Resilience of Save the Children in Bangladesh, and Prof Adil Mohammad Khan, general secretary of BIP, were also present at the event.