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ADB’s Training Seminar Emphasizes Development

Dhaka, Bangladesh (21 August 2002). The two-day Management Training Seminar on Involuntary Resettlement organized by the the Asian Development Bank and held at the Bangladesh Resident Mission (BRM) was concluded on 12 August 2002. The training seminar was widely participated by major infrastructure and other Government agencies, including Roads and Highways Department, Bangladesh Water Development Board, Bangladesh Railway, Gas Transmission Co. Ltd., Ministry of Land, Ministry of Planning (IMED), related national and international consultants and prominent NGOs. Dr. Mohammad Zaman, ADB's staff consultant and social policy and resettlement specialist conducted the training seminar.

In his welcome address, Toru Shibuichi, ADB Country Director mentioned that the training program was a very important milestone in terms of capacity building efforts in resettlement, social development and safeguard in ADB-assisted projects in Bangladesh. Involuntary resettlement associated with ADB projects presents certain risks. For example, people lose their lands, homes, jobs, income sources, and generally their way of life. Unless adequate measures are taken to assist them in resettlement and rehabilitation, development projects have in the past led to impoverishment of the affected people. ADB's Involuntary Resettlement Policy was adopted to (i) address this impoverishment and (ii) safeguard the economic, social and cultural lives of the resettlers. Mr. Shibuichi stressed that "The development community increasingly sees impoverishment of the affected people as unacceptable. We believe that good resettlement plans can prevent impoverishment and poverty of the affected people by turning displacement into development opportunities. Thus, people affected can also share in the benefits of development."

The seminar was very interactive and participants from the government agencies and NGOs shared their experience encountered in the field during implementation of resettlement plans. The participants largely recognized the gaps between the requirements of ADB and other donor agencies, and actual practices in the field with respect to implementation of involuntary resettlement plan. The need for narrowing down the gaps by enhancing awareness among the Government executing agencies and policy makers was emphasized by the participants. These anomalies should be adequately bridged by formulation and implementation of a National Policy on Involuntary Resettlement. The participants agreed that once the national policy is in place, uniformity of Government's perception, plans and actions to adequately address the resettlement issues encountered in infrastructure projects would be ensured.

The participants expressed their view that ADB should come forward, as it has done for Sri Lanka, with an advisory technical assistance under its grant financing scheme to assist the Government of Bangladesh to formulate, adopt and implement a National Policy on Involuntary Resettlement.