A United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) delegation held discussions with Parliament Chief Whip Md Nurul Islam on strengthening parliamentary democracy, e-governance, poverty alleviation and environmental development.
The delegation, comprising UNDP Assistant Resident Representative Anwarul Haque, Assistant Programme Adviser for Governance Dragan Popovic, and Project Manager Mahmudul Hasan, paid a courtesy call on the chief whip at his office in the National Parliament on Monday.
Chief Whip Nurul Islam said parliament must be strengthened to give democracy its institutional form. “Many problems can be resolved when the opposition and ruling parties reach a consensus in parliament. The formation of a special committee on energy has already resolved the country’s energy problems.”
He noted that the current government is providing economic assistance including Family Cards and Farmer Cards to alleviate poverty and has adopted tree plantation and canal excavation programmes to protect the environment.
“Trust in one another is essential. Otherwise, we will not be able to move the country forward. Democracy is essential for good governance,” he added.
Dragan Popovic said UNDP can play a supportive role in building bridges between parliament members and the people. “The National Parliament and UNDP can work together to make parliament more effective.”
Discussions also covered e-parliament initiatives, freedom of speech, and parliamentary rules of procedure. Senior officials of the National Parliament Secretariat were present.
