Dhaka, May 27 — The Bangladesh ECD Network (BEN) hosted a two-day national Early Childhood Development (ECD) Conference at Brac University, bringing together over 300 participants, including government officials, UN representatives, ECD practitioners and international experts.
Conference assessed progress since the adoption of the Comprehensive Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Policy in 2013.
Sharmeen S Murshid adviser to the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MoWCA) inaugurated the event, highlighting MoWCA’s initiative to establish a dedicated Children Directorate and stressing the need for a national program to promote child and maternal well-being.
Special guests included Deepika Mehrish Sharma of UNICEF Bangladesh and BEN Chairperson Manzoor Ahmed. A posthumous award was presented to M Habibur Rahman, a long-time ECD advocate. NGO Phulki received recognition for its work with children of garment factory workers.
Event was supported by Brac IED, UNICEF, Save the Children, Plan International Bangladesh, Educo Bangladesh, ICHD and RNLI. Keynote and plenary sessions featured speakers from Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood (ARNEC) and global Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN).