Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Md. Tofazzal Hossain Mia has commented that Bangladesh is playing a pioneering role in the ongoing work on poverty alleviation, a press release said on Sunday. Addressing the chief guest at a national workshop titled ‘National Workshop on PPEPP-EU Project’ organized by Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) Sunday, he said that the rate of poverty and extreme poverty in Bangladesh has reduced significantly in the last one and a half decades and behind this is the government’s various people-oriented, timely measures. Support from development agencies has played an effective role.
Speaking at the workshop held at the PKSF building in Agargaon, Dhaka, he also said that one of the main goals of the Bangladesh government is to eradicate extreme poverty and there is no alternative to taking long-term, sustainable activities to achieve this goal.
The workshop was organized under the ‘Pathways to Prosperity for Extremely Poor People – European Union (PPEPP-EU)’ project implemented by PKSF with funding from the European Union. Charles Whiteley, Ambassador of the European Union to Bangladesh was the guest of honor and Mr. Md. Abdur Rahman Khan, FCMA, Secretary of the Financial Institutions Department was the special guest. Chairman of PKSF Dr. PKSF Managing Director Namita Halder NDC gave a welcome speech in this workshop held under the chairmanship of M Khairul Hossain.
Charles Whiteley said in his speech that last year the EU and Bangladesh celebrated 50 years of cooperative relations. The PPEPP-EU project is a reflection of this relationship. In the last five decades, despite the development in economic, infrastructural and human sectors in Bangladesh, extreme poverty is still high in the backward areas of the country such as Haor and coastal areas; Therefore, he commented that special attention should be given to these places.
Dr. PPEPP-EU project as a novel project. Namitha Halder, NDC, said that through this project, tackling difficult issues such as disability and salinity prevalence are both time-consuming and challenging.
Chairman of PKSF Dr. M Khairul Hossain said that all the experience PKSF had in poverty alleviation, the PPEPP-EU project was planned and implemented by utilizing all the experience. The progress of this project is encouraging; However, the project activities should be continued to achieve the desired goals.
In the workshop, members from different parts of the country shared their experiences of benefiting from the assistance received from the project. Besides, a panel discussion was held on various components of the PPEPP-EU project under implementation since 2022 and a short documentary on the project was screened.
