Food and Agriculture Organization the United Nations (FAO) recently organized a training programme on facilitative leadership to improve cross-sectoral dialogue, planning, and monitoring of investments in environment, forestry and climate change on 20-23 March 2017 at BRAC CDM in Savar, Dhaka.

The training – attended by Nineteen (19) participants, including seven (7) women, from 15 different agencies -  was funded by USAID, and organised by the FAO project titled ‘Strengthening the Environment, Forestry and Climate Change (EFCC) Capacities of the Ministry of Environment and Forests and its Agencies’.

Mr Istiaque Ahmad, Secretary-in-Charge, Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Mr Mohammed Shafiul Alam Chowdhury, Chief Conservator of Forests, and Dr Sue Lautze, FAO Representative in Bangladesh also joined the opening session of the training programme.

Recognizing that the environmental challenges faced by Bangladesh on its path towards sustainable development cannot be addressed by any one agency or Ministry alone, the Secretary, MoEF, in his opening remarks, said “we need capacities, especially leadership capacities within the government, to ensure synergies and cohesion among the diversified initiatives and their sustained impact.” 

Mr Marco Boscolo, Chief Technical Advisor of the project and a key resource person in the training, emphasized that the importance of being active agents in the process of change and that, regardless of his or her position in formal hierarchies, everyone can contribute to positive change in unique ways.

The training started with a panel discussion where Dr. Sue Lautze, FAO Representative in Bangladesh; Mr Ishtiaq U Ahmad, IUCN Country Representative in Bangladesh; Ms Ina F Islam, Deputy Director, International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCAD) and Dr Niaz Ahmed Khan, Professor and former Chairman, Department of Development Studies, University of Dhaka shared their views on the multiple opportunities in our personal and professional lives to advocate and express our values through leadership, as well as the competencies, skills, attitudes, and perils needed to do so effectively.

On the first day, participants also chose a “leadership project” as an opportunity to practice the skills. The second day explored some key skills needed for facilitative leadership such as group facilitation, coaching, team building, communication and presentation skills. On the third day, participants travelled to meet with village leaders, women’s groups, local government officers and local resource users and practice what they learned in the previous days, and explore how leadership is exercised in local communities. The fourth and final day concentrated on concepts and practice of conflict management. Participants also presented their respective leadership project. Presentations were evaluated based on the clarity of the idea, the proactivity of its solutions, how engaging and convincing it was, and in the use of compelling imagery in the presentation. Two presentations were considered the best by the participants:

• Shawpner Feriwala (Dream Hawker), prepared by Sultana Saleha Shumee (Finance Division, Ministry of Finance), Khairun Nahar (Ministry of Water Resources), Razinara Begum (Department of Environment), and Yasmeen Parveen (Planning Commission).  

The presentation proposed the streamlining of specific regulations to accelerate fund release for newly approved projects. 

• An integrated database system to address climate change issues and finance: Climate Change information in “one click”.  The presentation highlighted the need for more efficient access to climate change information and was prepared by Rokeya Begum (Forest Department), Rafiqa Sultana (Department of Environment), and Shakila Yasmin (Bangladesh Climate Change Trust).

Toon De Bruyn, Yurdi Yasmi and Marco Boscolo acted as resource persons for this highly experiential and interactive training. One participant considered the training “inspiring” and, a female participant remarked “I have been defined as a sleeping giant in front of many male managers, and they clapped their hands. In Bangladesh, potential female leaders call more recognition, and this training gave it a good kick!”

Mr Abdullah Al Mohsin Chowdhury, Additional Secretary (Development), Ministry of Environment and Forests and the National Project Director and Mr David Doolan, Deputy FAO Representative in Bangladesh officiated the closing.

With support from FAO and the USAID, the Ministry of Environment and Forests recently developed a Country Investment Plan as a strategic framework to deliver more effective, coordinated, sustainable and country-driven investment programs in environmental protection, sustainable forest management and climate change adaptation and mitigation.