About Us
The Municipal Association of Bangladesh collaborates with international organizations and local government to provide the best possible services. For excellent governance to be achieved in Bangladesh, administrative decentralization is required. Municipalities are a significant level of local government organizations that influence the advantages of administrative decentralization. In order to provide its residents with the advantages of urbanization, municipalities play important roles and functions. Thus, it is imperative to address the matter of Municipality strengthening and empowerment.
Local government officials in developing nations are required to do additional duties on top of their mandated responsibilities. For instance, they must educate the public on the responsibilities and tasks of local governments. The central government frequently takes its time giving local government institutions legal authority and powers. Seldom is there a move to define the powers and responsibilities of Local Government Institutions and the Parliament in order to provide a check and balance.To better the lives of their constituents, the municipality must become an active and effective organization, as acknowledged by all elected mayors, council members, and other authorities. The Municipal Association of Bangladesh (MAB) was established in July 2003 with this goal in mind. Ever since its establishment, MAB has been proactively coordinating its endeavors to advocate for the decentralization and democracy of Bangladesh’s local government system by uniting voices. Decentralization and democratization were seen as key agenda items at several seminars and workshops that MAB arranged. In order to depart from the traditional understanding of the phrase “local governance,” which originated from a colonial centralized system to grant local people little responsibilities, the open debates and brainstorming sessions also presented multidimensional viewpoints of the term. The group prioritizes policy advocacy for democracy and decentralization in the local government system since the current notion of local governance needs to be implemented into the social platform.
Over the past few years, MAB has carried out several initiatives as a collective platform for the municipalities. Through consultation, it has identified the municipality’s limitations and made recommendations to the government for their resolution. Additionally, MAB has made several steps to significantly improve the accomplishments of the local officials.
- To raise united voice in favor of the whole Municipality of Bangladesh.
- To initiate integration program approach in strengthening MAB platform.
- To present the real-life recommendations to the policy level of the government of Bangladesh.
- regarding the limitations of the legal framework of the local government management system.
- To provide need-based training and technical support to the municipal representatives.
- To take required initiatives to develop good impression of municipality activity at all levels.
- To play a role to establish an effective local government.
- To keep effective communication with local and foreign organizations & forums and seeking membership; To implement the projects of MAB and Municipalities through the joint effort and thus mobilized funding support from the national & international level agencies.
MAB is registered under the NGO Affairs Bureau (NGOAB) number. 2642, dated 23/05/2011, and the Society Act of the Joint Stock Companies no. S-9094 (20)/2009.
As a local government association (LGA), the MAB is affiliated with the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF), CITYNET, ICLEI South Asia, United Cities and Local Governments Asia Pacific (UCLG ASPAC), and the International City Management Association (ICMA). Additionally, Bangladesh Urban Forum (BUF), a member of the Governance Advocacy Forum (GAF) and the World Urban Forum (WUF), has a strategic connection with it.
The Ministry of Local Government Rural Development and Cooperatives (LGRD&C), the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Environment and Forest, the Ministry of Disaster Management & Relief, the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs (MOLJPA) of the Government of Bangladesh, the Comprehensive Disaster Management Program (CDMP), the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Embassy of Royal Denmark, the Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF), German International Cooperation (GIZ) and other state-owned development agencies in Bangladesh.
Following are the logical reasons to establish of MAB as organizational platform:
- MAB feel its importance that MAB as an effective united organization to represent the country’s Municipal related issues at national level.
- Though elected municipal local government management system is historical but as an institution not so strong to play an effective role.
- In the policy making process and taking decision regarding resource distribution, there is no way to express interest of the Municipality’s collectively.
- Though, the association of Municipal Mayors achieve success a few but already they proved the justification of organizing such a ‘Municipal Association’. Process of the implementation of programs of ‘Municipal Association of Bangladesh’ will be regular through their learning experience.
- To implement goal & objective of MAB to develop the organizational strategy at local / national / International level.
- Taking measure at local level to improve the quality of direction to strengthen Municipality, it means, manpower of the Municipality, Financial power and to ensure Participatory Democratic Municipal administration.
- For needful of legal rectification and regulatory framework, taking programs at Central government like lobby with the central government, submit demands and ensuring rights to decentralization of defined all activities for development of municipality and to ensure resource mobilization.
- Communicate with regional/international associations and networks at international level, exchange information, experience and use learning experience for positive changes of Municipal Association of Bangladesh (MAB).
- Facilitate for brainstorming & exchange view and opinion to build a effective network of elected Municipal government of Bangladesh.
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