Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- UNDP Administrator Helen Clark will begin a three-day trip to Bangladesh on Thursday to highlight the country’s progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals and the challenges it faces in dealing with the impacts of climate change.
Helen Clark will travel to Char Kukri-Mukri in the Bhola District where, together with the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, over a video-conference to be telecast live on national TV, they will inaugurate an information centre that will give local communities access to information regarding their entitlements and basic services.
These centers are part of an access to information project which supports initiatives to leverage new technology for public service delivery. A mobile phone-based disaster early warning broadcasting system has now been introduced to disseminate alerts through all mobile phones in the affected district.
In the area of climate change, these technologies are being used to provide information from academic institutions to rural communities on issues such as crop mapping, long range weather forecasting and dissemination of climate adaptive agricultural practices.
During her visit Helen Clark will meet with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, members of the Prime Minister’s cabinet, the Leader of the Opposition, diplomats, and civil society leaders. A lunch will be hosted by Foreign Minister Dipu Moni.
BBN/SSR/SI-10Nov10-11:59 pm (BST)
