Int’l agencies urged to ensures transparency in humanitarian activities

BDCSO Process, a forum of around 700 local CSOs/NGOs, on Monday urged international agencies to ensure transparency in their all humanitarian and development activities, shunning the practice of ‘colonial dominance’ in partnership with NGOs.

The organisation made the call at a virtual press conference where it placed a declaration adopted in its virtual annual conference last month.

At the press conference, BDCSO leaders also called upon the international agencies to limit their role only to monitoring and technical assistance, and give the local actors the responsibility for implanting different projects.

BDCSO Process national coordinator Rezaul Karim Chowdhury moderated the press conference while COAST Trust executive director Mostafa Kamal Akanda delivered the welcome speech.

Speaking at the press meet, the platform’s divisional leader, Arifur Rahman, said all international agencies must use the Bangla language in the country. “I also urge them to ensure full transparency of their funding process and to make it free from conflict of interest.”

Another BDCSO divisional Asadazzaman Sheikh said the international agencies should take steps for the transfer of technology and knowledge to local ones.

He urged the international agencies to keep their management cost limited to a single digit.

Platform’s leader Masuda Faruque Ratna called upon the international agencies to adhere to aid-transparency principles and shun the luxury in activities of humanitarian and development assistance.

She also said the UN agencies should give much more focus on promoting human rights than fundraising and project implementation.