Bangladesh ECD Network organised two-day National ECD Conference at Brac University in Dhaka on Monday and Tuesday, says a press release.
The event brought together stakeholders to assess Bangladesh鈥檚 journey since the government鈥檚 adoption of the Comprehensive Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Policy in 2013.
Sharmeen S Murshid, adviser to Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MoWCA), was present as chief guest at the opening ceremony of the event.
She urged all stakeholders to work together on issues related to children and mothers. She said MOWCA has taken the initiative to establish a Children Directorate. She also emphasised considering national programme for the development and well-being of young children.
Deepika Mehrish Sharma, chief, Nutrition Section, UNICEF Bangladesh and Manzoor Ahmed, chairperson of BEN were present as special guests at the programme.
M Habibur Rahman, long-time vice president of Bangladesh ECD Network and education adviser of Save the Children was posthumously awarded at the event.
The NGO Phulki was also honoured with an award of recognition for its pioneering work to extend ECD care to children of garment factory workers.
The event was supported by BRAC Institute of Educational Development, BRAC University (BRAC IED), UNICEF, BRAC, Save the Children, Plan International Bangladesh, Educo Bangladesh, ICHD, and the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI).
The event brought together over 300 participants, including senior government officials, UN agencies, development partners, ECD practitioners, academics, journalists, and representatives of civil society organisations.
International experts also joined as keynote and plenary speakers from the Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood (ARNEC) and the global Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN).
