Bangladesh Urban Health Network (BUHN) Conducts 2nd EC Meeting

Dhaka, Bangladesh - On May 30, 2023, Bangladesh Urban Health Network (BUHN) held its second Executive Committee (EC) meeting on May 30, 2023, at the UNICEF Office in Dhaka. The meeting aimed to review progress, discuss key agenda items, and make important decisions regarding the network's activities. Participants from various esteemed organizations attended the meeting, which was conducted in a warm and collaborative environment.

The meeting started at 11:00 am with an opening speech delivered by Mr. Abul Kalam Azad. The meeting agenda included several crucial topics, such as the approval of the first EC meeting's minutes, reviewing project progress and milestones, updating the new operational plan (OP) concerning urban health, sharing other initiatives and lessons learned, and discussing the training date for the BUHN website. Additionally, the committee reviewed two policy briefs on urban health and the concept note for the International Conference on Urban Health (ICUH) in 2023. 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. Dr. Talukder also provided updates on the infographics, e-newsletters, and news articles published by BUHN. Members were encouraged to submit concept notes for ICUH 2023 and actively participate in upcoming activities such as the advisory committee meeting and website training session.

Mr. Azad, a former Secretary of the Government of Bangladesh, emphasized the importance of engaging with the government and suggested that BUHN focus primarily on government collaboration. He also discussed the possibility of integrating BUHN into the organizational activities of advisory committee members related to urban health. The need to circulate revised policy briefs among EC members before sharing them externally was also highlighted. Dr. Khairul Islam, Regional Director of WaterAid, South Asia Region, appreciated the revised vision, mission, and objectives of BUHN but suggested further improvements. He provided specific feedback on the policy briefs, emphasizing the need for more information on Aalo Clinic's activities in Policy Brief I and greater coherence between discussion and recommendation sections in Policy Brief II. Dr. Morseda Chowdhury from BRAC presented the revised vision, mission, and objectives, emphasizing the holistic nature of the vision statement and addressing inconsistencies in the policy briefs' discussion section. Dr. Jucy Merina Adhikari from UNICEF Bangladesh inquired about the process for selecting topics for news articles and suggested that the objectives of the policy briefs should be clearer. Dr. Lima Rahman from Save the Children, Bangladesh, raised concerns about the budget for the proposed national urban health conference and recommended limiting the advisory committee to a smaller group of 7-10 members. She also expressed her commitment to support the inauguration of the BUHN website by involving the health minister. Md Shameem Bepari, Senior Assistant Secretary of the Local Government Division, Government of Bangladesh, expressed his enthusiasm for being present. Drawing from his experience in the urban primary healthcare service delivery project, he noted the similarities between the project and BUHN's activities. Dr. Ikhtiar Uddin Khandaker from Care Bangladesh highlighted the role and responsibilities of the Executive Committee, emphasizing the importance of their contributions. Dr. Margub Aref Jahangir, the Health Officer of UNICEF Bangladesh, presented a proposed list of members for the advisory committee, which was discussed by the Executive Committee.

‘It's not ideal to combine multiple topics into one policy brief. It is more effective to select a few manageable topics, analyze them individually, and provide recommendations for each one.’ said Maya Vandenent, Chief of Health at UNICEF Bangladesh.

The EC meeting concluded with several decisions, including an enhanced focus on government engagement in urban health activities, integration of BUHN into member organizations' health-related activities, and the need for long-term strategic planning spanning 5 to 10 years. The committee also decided to revise and refine the policy briefs, ensuring they are more focused, coherent, and visually appealing. UNICEF's expertise was sought to assist with the revision process. Mr. Abul Kalam Azad expressed gratitude to all participants for their contributions and encouraged BUHN to continue its valuable work in advancing urban health in Bangladesh. The date and time for the next meeting were confirmed to ensure continued collaboration and progress.