“4th EC meeting of Bangladesh Urban Health Network (BUHN)”
The fourth meeting of the Executive Committee (EC) for the Bangladesh Urban Health Network (BUHN) took place on 27 September 2023, at the Unicef Office, Dhaka. The main objective of this meeting was to discuss the progress of Bangladesh Urban Health Network (BUHN) activities, proposed plans for upcoming activities, and further steps accordingly. EC members of the network, representatives from a2i, UNFPA, and Unicef attended the meeting, which produced a warm and collaborative environment in the step of commitment toward urban health in Bangladesh.
The meeting started at 11:00 a.m. with an opening speech delivered by Dr. Margub Jahangir, Health Officer, Unicef. Following the opening segment, Dr. Jucy Merina Adhikari, EC Member, BUHN provided her welcome address, and a brief introduction of the participants was held. After the introduction, she took the approval of the “3rd EC meeting minutes” with several changes for adjustment as the participants suggested the changes with discussion. Mr. Abul Kalam Azad, President- BUHN shared his comments on the follow-up the consent of proposed AC members, and the follow-up meeting decisions in the 3rd EC meeting of BUHN.
During the meeting, Dr. Shamim Hayder Talukder, Member Secretary of BUHN, presented an overview of BUHN's activities since the previous EC meeting. The progress made on project deliverables and the timeline for their completion were discussed as well. He provided updates on the participation of BUHN in the “International Conference on Urban Health: 2023”. He also shared the proposal for the inclusion of BUHN in the Smart Bangladesh Network (SBN) and the approval of Observer members from DGHS and DGFP from MoHFW, MoLGRD&C, and a2i in the EC of BUHN.
Mr. Abul Kalam Azad, President- BUHN suggested fixing a tentative date for finalizing the policy briefs, meeting with DGHS, and inauguration of the BUHN website, accommodating the meeting with government personnel. He also proposed promotional activities and emphasized approaching audiences for the ICUH-2023 to support Team Bangladesh, and establishing enhanced relationships with international partners in the conference. Moreover, he put a suggestion on organizing the National Urban Health Conference in March and further steps in discussion for facilitating the Regional Urban Health Conference in July. Dr. Mohammad Zahirul Islam, Vice-President, BUHN recommended sharing the schedule of urban health webinar series and webinar titles with the EC members for flexibility in joining the webinars. Mynul Hasan Sohel, EC Member, BUHN shared his insights and relevant issues on media involvement in the promotion of webinar series and other activities of BUHN (as news). Along with that, he promised to cooperate with the media promotion of BUHN.
Manik Mahmud, Member, Smart Bangladesh Netwrok, a2i- was invited in the meeting as an Observatory personnel and he expressed his gratitude to BUHN for that. He highly recommended the inclusion of Civil Society Partners and development members to support the Government in achieving the target of Smart Bangladesh, as well as the inclusion of BUHN focusing on Urban Health and other cross-cutting segments. As well as he encouraged the mass opportunity for campaign activities regarding urban health and nutrition with BUHN and Unicef.
After the presentation, an open discussion on meeting points was held. Opinions and suggestions were established and several decisions were made at the end of the meeting. BUHN EC members expressed the scope for inclusion with an enhanced focus on government engagement and partnership in urban health development activities, and the need for long-term strategic planning for the urban health sector. Mr. Abul Kalam Azad expressed gratitude to all participants for their contributions and concluded the meeting with his enthusiastic words of encouragement to the team in the journey of “Urban Health in Bangladesh.”
