The Local Government Division (LGD) of Bangladesh, under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, has hosted a pivotal workshop titled Strengthening Urban Food Policies for Healthy Cities in Bangladesh in collaboration with the Nutrition in City Ecosystems (NICE) Project of Sustainable Agriculture Foundation Bangladesh (SAF Bangladesh).

This workshop, initiated under LGD’s leadership, is a strategic platform to advance Bangladesh’s urban food and nutrition policy agenda. LGD fosters a collaborative dialogue to develop evidence-based policies to enhance urban food systems, strengthen public procurement, and ensure sustainable access to safe and nutritious food for city dwellers by bringing together policymakers, researchers, academicians, and experts.

The programme started with the opening remarks from Mr. Swe Min Zaw, Deputy Secretary of the Policy Support Branch, LGD. Dr Helen Prytherch, PhD, MPH, Head of Systems Strengthening & Health Promotion Unit at the Swiss Centre for International Health, Swiss TPH, shared an insightful Overview of NICE.
Furthering the discussion, Md Moshfequel Alam Talukder, Project Manager, NICE, SAF Bangladesh, shared the key perspectives on the project’s initiatives. After that, an insightful Keynote Presentation and an engaging Q&A Session were held by Mr. Hamidul H Khan, CEO of HK Consulting.

The workshop also included an engaging Panel Discussion on Urban Food and Nutrition Policy for a Healthy City, moderated by Mr Hamidul H Khan. The panellists include:

• Dr Helen Prytherch, PhD, MPH – Head of Systems Strengthening & Health Promotion Unit, Swiss Centre for International Health, Swiss TPH
• Dr Farzana Akter Dorin – National Professional Officer-Policies for Prevention of NCDs, WHO
• Dr Anil Kumar Das – Senior National Program Specialist, FAO of the United Nations
• Dr Khaleda Islam – Director, Institute of Nutrition and Food Science, Dhaka University

After the panel discussion, the audience heard from Mr Farhad Zamil, Executive Director of SAF Bangladesh. He expressed his heartfelt Gratitude to all for making the event successful.
The workshop was concluded by The Chief Guest, Mr Mohammad Saiful Islam Mazomder, Joint Secretary, Policy Support Branch, LGD, with the commitment of the Local Government Division’s support towards the NICE Project.

This write-up was originally published in a Bangladeshi newspaper – The Business Standard, dated Feb 5, 2025. Here is the link- Workshop strengthening urban food policies for healthy cities in Bangladesh