Project closing meeting on Pioneering, Connecting & Empowering Voices for Change: Strengthening Community Radio in Bangladesh to Fight Poverty and Promote Development

Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) is implementing two years project on Pioneering, Connecting & Empowering Voices for Change: Strengthening Community Radio in Bangladesh to Fight Poverty and Promote Development with the support from Free Press Unlimited and European Union.

Project closing meetin will be held on 28 May, 2015 at 2: 00 PM – 5:30 PM at Conference Room, IDB Bhaban, Sher-e- Bangla Nagor, Dhaka 1207

Mr. Hasanul Haq Inu, MP, Hon’ble Minister, Ministry of Information, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh has kindly confirmed to be present as Chief Guest.

Mr. Martuza Ahmed, Hon’ble Secretary, Ministry of Information, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh has kindly confirmed to be present as Special Guest

Kazi Akhtar Uddin Ahmed, Director General [Additional Secretary] Bangladesh Betar & Chairperson, Community Radio Related Central Monitoring Committee, Ministry of Information has kindly confirmed to be present as Special Guest.
 
Mr. Henrick van Asch van Wijck, First Secretary Political and Economic Affairs of Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands has kindly confirmed to be present as  Guest of Honor
 
Mr. Frédéric Maduraud, Minister Counsellor, DCM/Head of Political, Economic, Trade, Press and Information Section of Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh has kindly confirmed to be present as  Guest of Honor.
 
Mr. Ashish Chandra Sen, Community Media Expert of South Asia will share the preliminary findings on Project Evaluation
 
Mr. Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Chairperson of BNNRC Board of Trust & Executive Director of COAST will preside over the Meeting.Now 15 Community Radio Stations are on-air in the country, aiming to ensure empowerment and right to information for the rural community. They are broadcasting altogether 125 hours program per day on information, education, local entertainment and development motivation activities. Around 1000 Youth Women & Youth are now working with those Stations throughout the country as rural broadcasters.

BNNRC has been struggling for the last 15 years to open up the community media (including Community Radio, Community Television and Community film) and giving focus on its vital role as voices of the voiceless people.

The overall objective of the project was to strengthen the capacity of community radios in Bangladesh as sources of information on important issues affecting the lives of marginalized groups and as platforms to encourage dialogue and participation of the poor and the voiceless in defining policies on poverty reduction.

The closing meeting will bring a broad range of project key stakeholders like community radio initiators and station managers, representatives from Government, Media, Development Partners and academicians.

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AHM Bazlur Rahman-S21BR is Chief Executive Officer and founder Secretary of Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC). He has more than 20 years experience in leveraging community media and right to communication to create successful policy advocacy in Bangladesh in line with community media development. His areas of expertise straddle community media policy advocacy, training, project management especially in the area of community media. He founded Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC). BNNRC Devoted Entirely to Promote Community Media for Development (CM4D). BNNRC Leads Supports and Advocates for the Initiators to actively provide independent community broadcasting in Bangladesh since 2000. BNNRC represent the community electronic media sector to Government, Industry, Regulatory Bodies, Media, Academia and Development Partners from 2000. The BNNRC provides leadership and support for rural initiators to facilitate independent electronic community broadcasting services and to build and strengthen rural communities. He actively works to improve recognition of the community electronic media sector [Community Radio | Community TV | Community Film] & its work in and involvement with the communities it seeks to serve. BNNRC's outreach extends to local, national and international forums for communicating Knowledge for Development (KM4D). In this backdrop, communication is recognized as an essential human need and, therefore, as a basic human right. Our working strategies are: 1. Communicating on the Public Sphere: The role of communication and media in exercising democratic political participation in society 2. Communicating Knowledge: The terms and means by which knowledge generated by society is communicated, or blocked, for use by different groups. 3. Civil Rights in Communication: The exercise of civil rights relating to the processes of communication in society & 4. Cultural Rights in Communication: The communication of diverse cultures, cultural forms and identities at the individual and social levels. BNNRC now strives for the following core interventions to contribute in achieving 6th five Years Plan, UN World Summit on the Information Society (UN WSIS) Action Plan and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through: Right to Information- RTI for ensuring improved livelihood of the marginalized ICT for Development- ICT4D for Bridging the Digital Divide in rural areas & Community Radio/Community TV/ Community Film for amplifying voices for the voiceless and Amateur Radio for Disaster Risk Reduction He graduated from University of Dhaka and Post graduated from Asian University of Bangladesh in the field of Social Science (MSS) in Government & Politics and Participated in certificate course on Development Management by Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) New Delhi, India He currently founder member of Bangladesh Working Group on UN World Summit on the Information Society (UN WSIS) headed by Bangladesh Government, Community Radio Monitoring Committee of Ministry of Information, People’s Republic of Bangladesh, founder member of Bangladesh UN Internet Governance Forum( UN IGF) Headed by Minister, Ministry of Information, Multi-stakeholder Steering Group Members of Asia Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum (AP-RIGF) & Distinguish Fellow, Center for e-Parliament Research. Contact: ceo@bnnrc.net www.bnnrc.net