BANGLADESH:
Location: Dhaka
The National Workshop on the Underlying Causes of Deforestation and Forest
Degradation in Bangladesh
A national workshop on the underlying causes of forest
degradation and deforestation in Bangladesh was held on 10 May 2008 at VIP
Lounge, National Press Club, Dhaka organized by the Institute of Cultural
Affairs ICA in cooperation with the Global Forest Coalition GFC, the Netherlands
funded by the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Dutch Ministry of
Foreign Affairs followed by a roundtable discussion.
TIB Trustee Board Chairman
Professor Muzaffer Ahmed was present in the inaugural session as chief guest.
Professor KAM Saaduddin, former Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the
University of Dhaka chaired the session. Professor Dr. A I Mahbub Uddin Ahmed of
the Department of Sociology, University of Dhaka. Professor Dr. Niaz Ahmed Khan,
Department of Development Studies, University of Dhaka moderated the roundtable
discussion. Philip Gain, Executive Director, Sehd, Farid Uddin Ahmed, Executive
Director, Arannayk Foundation, Syeda Rizwana Hassan, Executive Director, BELA,
Iqbal Ali, BEISP and Dr. M Asaduzzaman, Research Director, BIDS were special
discussants in the roundtable discussion.
Two research teams led by Dr. A I
Mahbub Uddin Ahmed, Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Dhaka, Dr.
M Nazrul Islam, Professor, Department of geography and Environment, Jahangir
Nagar University has conducted three research studies on three major forest
areas Mangrove, Saal and Chittagong Hill Tracts reserve forest during
February-April 2008, based on which a key note paper was presented in the main
workshop. Earlier a discussion meeting on the research findings was held on 8
May 2008 to prepare the key note paper at Baton Rouge, Gulshan.
The discussion
meeting was participated by 30 experts from 3 universities - University of
Chittagong, University of Dhaka, Jahangirnagar University, 4 NGOs - Arannayk
Foundation, BELA, TMSS, ICA. At 430pm the team leader of the project Dr. Mahbub
Ahmed and project coordinator Md. Azizur Rahman briefed about the objectives of
the workshop and findings of the study to media representatives at Dhaka
Reporters Unity in a press conference. The main goal of the national workshop is
to increase the level of awareness of the underlying causes of deforestation and
forest degradation amongst policy makers, the media, NGOs, indigenous peoples
and other stakeholders and to propose pathways and actions to address the
underlying causes.
A total of 100 participants including representatives from
NGOs, civil society organizations, forest users, indigenous people,
universities, forest research institutes, electronic media, print media,
Indigenous People, and the government bodies attended the meeting. The workshop
generated the fact that the scenario of deforestation in Bangladesh is very
alarming and the underlying causes are manifold. The study also identified the
main actors involved in the process and recommended effective measures to
address the underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation in
Bangladesh.
More than 30 print and electronic media disseminated the ICA's
national workshop on the underlying causes of deforestation and forest
degradation in Bangladesh.
Aziz admin@ica-bangladesh.org
CANADA:
Location: Toronto
ICA Canada is in the midst of hiring co-directors for the Listen to the Drumming
campaign and for YFL, and this has consumed much of the week. There have been a
number of well-qualified, interesting candidates, with rich backgrounds and
great personalities, so we're close to making our decisions.
As well, with regard
to developing our Case for Support, our fundraising consultant, Marilyn
Friedmann, has interviewed a number of prominent members of the non-profit
community to help us in this development process.
On top of all this, the
director of our Listen to the Drumming program, Eowynne, has been busy preparing
for an upcoming trip to Africa, where she'll be working closely with ICA
Tanzania over the course of a few weeks.
Liz Donnery ldonnery@icacan.ca
ICA ASSOCIATES INC. (Canada)
Location: Canada
Over the past few weeks, we've been very busy right across the nation.
Jo Nelson
has worked with The Alberta Ministry of Education on developing their
distributed learning stragey. This is a long, high level project that has
enabled us to blend ToP methods with the Scenario Planning methods developed by
Royal Dutch Shell. The Regina Bd of Education continues to call upon us to train
their teachers in ToP methods. This system has a high percentage of people in
the board offices and in the classroom using ToP methods. Jo is also wothing
with York Region Community Services.
Duncan Holmes worked with a British Colombia
project related to water conservation and management.
Bill Staples and John
Miller have both done ToP training programs with Ontario Public Health
organizations. Community leadership training continues with United Way
organization in Toronto.
All of these activities are helping organizations in
Canada develop participatory approaches to their work. They are discovering the
value of engaging their constituents in organizational planning. ToP methods are
being integrated into organizational cultures and are becoming the normal way of
operating. Many are applying them with great creativity.
Wayne Nelson wnelson@ica-associates.ca
PERU:
Location: Lima
We received a request last Friday from Japan Int'l Cooperation Agency to submit
two proposals for the earthquake recovery zone, and three days later we had them
delivered. The word is spreading about the methods we used in building the
temporary homes in Chincha.
Then we got a call from Montreal inviting us to
send an English speaking Peruvian to the International Training Course beginning
26 May. This gave us the opportunity to invite Carmen Ruiz to join our staff as
our new Development Officer, focused on securing grants for new project work in
Peru. She is extremely excited to be able to take on this challenge, and to get
totally on top of the history and methods of the ICA at the course in Montreal.
Meanwhile we await the approval next week of another proposal for our ongoing
work in Chincha.
Staff admin@ica-peru.org
ICAI:
Location: Montréal
Sarah Farina met with the Montreal International Forum (FIM) this week to build collaboration among international NGOs in Montreal. Conversations centered on challenges and obstacles in Montreal’s non-profit sector, and it was decided that collective action would be taken to approach government representatives for increased support.
Mike continues to work on bringing to life our office launch and the Japan conference. Watch for the online conference registration, coming soon!
Jane continues in her research of funding opportunities, and Katie continues to stay busy supporting her team.
Katie katie@ica-international.org
