British Council holds 2-day Bangladesh policy dialogue
A two-day Bangladesh Policy Dialogue titled Social Enterprise: Impact and Opportunities has begun yesterday at the British Council in Dhaka, says a press release.
British Council Bangladesh organized the event and the dialogue will continue today.
The event will bring together 100 policy experts, social enterprise and social investment intermediaries and practitioners from Myanmar, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the UK, which includes personnel from organisations such as social enterprise UK, BRAC, Dnet and mPower. The event aims to focus on the impact and opportunities that social enterprise sector offers, gathering experience from other countries and developing a comprehensive set of policy recommendations for the government to support the sectors rapid growth in Bangladesh.
The dialogue provides an opportunity to contribute to the development of a social enterprise policy framework in Bangladesh. It will consider the contexts (economic, cultural, political) that have supported the development of the Social Enterprise sector in the countries in East and South Asia as well as the UK in recent years, creating a pertinent platform for exchanging views and experiences, sharing best practices in social enterprise, and exploring their adaptation in Bangladesh.
Additionally, the Policy Dialogue will facilitate a continuation to the development of a network of policy influencers, social entrepreneurs, academia and private sector enterprise specialists in East Asia, South Asia and the UK.
The event is taking place at a pivotal, and highly relevant time in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is among the global pioneers in social enterprise, boasting organisations such as BRAC and Grameen Bank. However, Bangladesh is poised to become middle income country status by 2021, which means that although there is a growth in entrepreneurial activity, some big donors may reprioritise other less developed and developing countries.
Hedayetullah Al Mamoon, ndc, Senior Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, inaugurated the Policy Dialogue as Chief Guest. Mark Clayton, Deputy British High Commissioner in Bangladesh and Rubana Haq, Managing Director, Mohammadi Group were also present as Special Guests. Barbara Wickham, Director of British Council Bangladesh was also present among others.
