Physical activity can drastically reduce the chances of developing NCDs, however, people in Bangladesh does not exercise enough due to a multitude of reason including lack of awareness & lack of publicly available open spaces. In this situation Citizen Network-CNET, Center for Law and Policy Affairs (CLPA ) has taken various steps to combat this raising issue. As part of such efforts, CLPA has recently collaborated with various organisations all over Bangladesh to engage in discussion meetings with the local governments and personals to taking appropriate steps in order to promote physical activities for reducing the risk of NCDs.
The Center for Law and Policy, LOFS, Rajshahi, and other partners collaborated to arranged a discussion meeting on June 9, 2024, about promoting physical activity. Attendees at the meeting included local councillors, teachers, reporters, engineers, NGOs, and municipal executive officers. The decisions pertaining the discussion emphasized on awareness and education specially regarding the duties of local government, budget allocation and guidelines for creating playgrounds, parks and open spaces & guidelines on maintaining existing ponds & recreational areas as per the Municipality Act 2009. A consensus was also reached to allocate funds for sports and physical activities in the 2024-2025 municipal budget, ensuring dedicated financial support for these initiatives.
On 5 June, 2024 a discussion meeting was held in Pirojpur District pertaining a presentation of a memorandum demanding budget allocation for non-communicable disease prevention and physical activity activities. This meeting was facilitated by the collaboration of CLPA and PDF, Pirojpur. The event was attended by a number of distinguished entities including the local Municipal Executive Officer, Administrative Officer, President of Udichi Shilpi Goshthi, prominent journalists, Former Panel Mayor of Pirojpur Municipal Council, President of the Managing Committee of Adarsh Secondary School. The Mayor of Pirojpur Municipal Council, Alhaj Habibur Rahman Malek attended the meeting as the Chief guest.
At the meeting, The Honorable Mayor committed to launching two new projects aimed at facilitating public walking and exercise within the local community by December 2024. The budget for sports and physical education, including field & park construction was increased from 2 million taka in the previous fiscal year to 5 million taka in the 2024-2025 fiscal year. A further 5 hundred thousand taka was allocated for the development of sports and cultural affairs in the local community.
On 10 June, 2024, a discussion meeting was held in Singra Upazila of Natore District in collaboration with CLPA and KASMAS to discuss the budget allocation for playgrounds parks and open spaces to promote exercise with the goal of preventing NCDs. Attendees of the event included Municipal Executive Officers, Administrative Officers, Representatives from NGOs and various professional organizations, Civil Society Members, and all Municipal Councilors. The Mayor of Singra Municipality, Mr. Alhaj Md. Jannatul Ferdous was the Chief Guest of the event.
The resolutions reached in the meeting involved the KASMAS Organization receiving funds to conduct physical activity programs by August 2024. A budget of 11 million taka was also allocated for the construction of Mini-Parks and playgrounds to support sports for children and exercise for adults by June 2025. The project was funded by World Bank. The Mayor also promised to build Footpaths and clean ponds to facilitate swimming activities throughout the municipality.
On June 25, 2024, another discussion meeting was held in Kushtia District, organized by a joint effort of CLPA and Nikushimaj Social Welfare Organization to discuss the budget allocation for playgrounds, parks, and open spaces and promote exercise to prevent non-communicable diseases. Attendees of the event included local figures like Municipal Executive Officers, Municipal Councilors, (Former) Deputy Director of Social Services Department, NGO Workers, Health Workers, Municipal Staff and Journalists. Municipal Councilor Saif-ul Haq Murad attended as chief guest as the representative of Kushtia Municipal Mayor.
Resolutions of the meeting included an operation to remove illegal shops and goods from the footpath was conducted on June 26, 2024. Lighting was to be installed in Kushtia fields to ensure safe sporting and exercise activities by July 2024. It was also agreed upon that existing playgrounds in Kushtia district will be renovated, and new fields and parks will be constructed for exercise and sports, with budget allocations secured by December 2024.
On June 9, 2024, another discussion meeting was held in Kuakata, Patuakhali organized by a collaborative effort of CLPA and SSDP to discuss the budget allocation for playgrounds, parks, and open spaces and promote exercise to prevent non-communicable diseases. Key attendees included the local Councilors, Municipal Secretary, Sanitary Inspector, Municipal Accounts Officer and Press Officers. Mayor of Kuakata Municipality, Md. Anwar Hossain was also present as the Chief Guest of the event. The resolutions reached in this meeting was municipal budget being allocated specifically for sports and physical activities, with projects to commence by September 2024. A pond adjacent to the municipality are to be cleaned to facilitate swimming by February 2025.
On May 23, 2024, a discussion meeting was convened in Rangpur City Corporation, organized jointly by CLPA & SADHO to discuss the guidelines related to playgrounds, parks, and open spaces to ensure exercise and physical activity for prevent non-communicable diseases. Attendees included local Teacher, Housewives, NGO representatives, Businessmen & Journalists. Panel Mayor, Md. Mahbubur Rahman Manju was present as the Chief Guest.
The decisions pertaining the discussions included committing to creating adequate facilities for city dwellers to exercise and walk, with specific projects to be identified by September 2024. It was also agreed upon to provide playgrounds for school students, proposing a collaborative approach where several schools share common playgrounds, to be implemented by December 2024. Emphasis was placed upon the importance of developing and adhering to guidelines for playgrounds, parks, and open spaces to promote exercise and prevent non-communicable diseases, with a draft to be reviewed in the next meeting.
On June 12, 2024, another discussion was held in Birganj Municipality, Dinajpur by CLPA in collaboration with BECAS to scrutinize the guidelines for playgrounds, parks, and open spaces to ensure exercise and physical activity to prevent non-communicable diseases. Included the participation of local Panel Members, Councilors, Administrative Officers, License Inspectors, Sanitary Inspectors and Journalists. The Mayor of Birganj Municipality, Dinajpur was present as the Chief Guest.
The decisions reached in the meeting included the critical importance of guidelines for playgrounds, parks, and open spaces to ensure exercise and physical activity, with the intention to finalize and implement these guidelines by October 2024. It was also confirmed that the construction of a new playground will be completed by March 2025, providing essential facilities for community sports and physical activities.