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On Sunday June 4th 2006, ADD International’s then Chief Executive Isaac Kute and ADD Bangladesh Country Representative Mosharraf Hossain were delighted to be invited to meet the acting President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Barrister MD. Jamir Uddin Sircar.   (The acting president has now taken up his previous role as speaker of parliament as the constitutional president Iajuddin Ahmed returned to office in July 2006).  The meeting took place at the official presidential residence, the Bango Bhaban in Dhaka.  The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the role of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in disability and development issues.

At the meeting, there was a shared understanding of the importance of the Bangladeshi government and civil society working together to overcome the major challenges faced by disabled people, namely the extreme poverty which most disabled people face and the prejudice which compounds it.  Isaac and Mosharraf highlighted some of the fantastic achievements already made by disabled people’s organisations in Bangladesh with ADD’s support.  These include:

· Helping more than 9,000 disabled people to form their own self-help groups
· Successfully campaigning for reserved seats for disabled people on buses
· Successful lobbying for a legislative Disability Bill
· Getting the issue of disability rights in front of a mass audience by production of  
  relevant music and drama events and by programmes for TV and radio
· Championing of individual cases of human rights abuses to support the oppressed
  individuals and also to raise awareness in the media of these cases
· Creation of a disabled women’s movement within the overall disability movement in
  recognition of the extra challenges they face.  After just one year of working with
  women in separate groups (alongside the other self-help groups they are members of),
  a high profile National Convention was organised attended by over 2,500 people.
· Disabled people from Kushtia, where ADD International first began work a decade ago, now volunteer
  their time to visit other districts and spread the formation of self-help groups

The acting President acknowledged the situation of disabled people in Bangladesh, and the role that disabled people can and should play within the community.  He reaffirmed support on behalf of the government on key development issues and their commitment to helping achieve the rights of disabled people in Bangladesh.