Speakers on Thursday called for coordinated action to implement the National Urban Policy 2025 and translate its commitments into more liveable, inclusive and climate-resilient cities, noting that more than one-third of Bangladesh’s population, living in urban areas and cities, contributes nearly 65 percent of GDP.

The call came at the national dissemination workshop on National Urban Policy 2025, organised jointly by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Local Government Division (LGD) with support from the UK Government at BCFCC in Dhaka.

The workshop brought together representatives from government ministries and agencies, local government institutions, development partners, academia, research institutions and the urban development community.

The government of Bangladesh approved the country’s first National Urban Policy 2025 as a national framework for more planned, inclusive, sustainable and climate-resilient urban development.

Speaking at the workshop, Md Mahmud Ali, Director (Additional Secretary), Urban Development Directorate, said urban development is not one ministry's job alone, it needs coordination across sectors, with active participation from ministries, public and private institutions, development authorities, academia, professionals, and urban residents themselves.

Md Samsul Islam, Joint Secretary, Local Government Division, stressed that the next priority is to move from policy to implementation.

“We want the National Urban Policy 2025 to go beyond being a policy document and become an effective tool for real change in urban planning, management, infrastructure development and service delivery,” he said.

Tanvir Mahmud, Senior Governance Specialist, UNDP Bangladesh, said implementation at the local level would ultimately determine the policy’s impact.

“The real success of the National Urban Policy will depend on how effectively it is applied in our cities. National policy directions need to connect with local realities, local capacities and local priorities,” he said.

He added that government ownership should remain at the centre of implementation, while development partners can support the process through technical knowledge, evidence, innovation, capacity development and partnerships.

The National Urban Policy 2025 was developed under the leadership of the Local Government Division, with contributions from an Inter-Ministerial Committee and relevant government institutions, including the Public Works Department, Ministry of Planning and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Technical support was provided by UNDP with support from the UK government

Earlier, Professor Dr Shakil Akther, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, presented the National Urban Policy 2025, followed by an open discussion on implementation.

Among others Nathaniel Smith, Team Leader, Climate and Environment, British High Commission, Amit Datta Roy, Urban Specialist, Asian Development Bank, Dr Fawzia Farzana, Professor, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Khulna University and Yugesh Pradhanang, UNDP spoke.