Dhaka: The ‘NGO-Microfinance Institution (MFI) Resourced Pooled Fund’ was launched in Bangladesh to strengthen locally led humanitarian financing and make disaster response activities more effective, integrated, and sustainable. Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir attended the national launching ceremony as the chief guest at a city hotel yesterday, according to a handout issued today.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, speaking at the event, the minister emphasized the necessity of a public-private partnership to ensure rapid and effective humanitarian assistance at the local level in disaster-prone regions of Bangladesh. He expressed optimism that the new fund would play a critical role in enhancing the disaster response capacity of marginalized communities and accelerating emergency assistance activities across the country.
The minister highlighted that the joint fund, formed by leveraging the experience, institutional capacity, and grassroots engagement of local NGOs and microfinance institutions, would herald a new era in humanitarian aid management. He called on all relevant organizations and institutions to collaborate effectively for the successful implementation of the initiative.
The program saw the attendance of representatives from various international organizations, development partners, NGOs, and officials of microfinance institutions, reflecting a collaborative effort to bolster disaster response mechanisms.