Youths urged to become torch-bearer of good governance in Bangladesh

Dhaka, 21 March 2007: World Bank Country Director Xian Zhu today said good governance is something all societies are striving towards and Bangladesh is not alone in attempting to tackle the problems of poor public services and corruption.

“Good governance is not the end in itself; it is a way of creating the environment to achieve other goals”, Mr. Zhu said during a prize distribution ceremony for a national essay competition on ‘Good Governance in Bangladesh: My Thoughts’ here today.

News Network, a media NGO, organized this national essay competition under the Bank’s Small Grants Program to promote youth voices in development. Eleven young writers came out as winners, selected by a panel of eminent jurists.

The winners are: Jubaida Rashan Ara, Miraj Hossain, Nasir Uddin Laskar, Rezwan Kabir, Madhabi Nishat Devjani and Mansur Ahmed, all from University of Dhaka, Mohammed Arifur Rahman from Mymensingh Agriculture University, Zannatul Ferdous Moon of United International University, Monjurul Hasaan of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Tasnuva Islam from Sheikh Borhanuddin Post Graduate College and Mursheda Akhter from Eden College.

Professor Muzaffar Ahmad, Chairman, Transparency International Bangladesh, Professor Dr. Shakhwat Ali Khan of the Journalism Department, Dhaka University, and Mr. Shahidudzzaman, Editor of News Network also spoke.

Urging the winners and all the competition participants to become torch bearers of good governance in Bangladesh, Mr. Zhu said the effective way of achieving sustainable economic and social benefits will come from involving people in reform and listening to what they say

The World Bank’s Small Grants Program is an initiative to promote dialogue and disseminate information about development in forums outside the Bank’s activities. It is designed to support the empowerment of citizens to have greater ownership of inclusive and equitable development processes.

News Network has been one of the seven awardees of this small grant program, announced last year. The other awardees are:  Srijony Bangladesh, Mass-line Media Centre (MMC), Environment and Population Research Centre (EPRC), World-Literature Centre (Biswa Shahitya Kendra), Grassroots Health and Rural Organizations for Nutrition Initiatives (GHARONI), and Institute for Environment & Development (IED).