BEAM Grab the Mic webinar
Date: 6th March 2025
Speakers:
Helal Hussain, Country Director, Swisscontact
Syeda Zinia Rashid, PhD, Programme Manager, Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh
Harald Bekkers, Founder & CEO, Opportunities Unlimited B.V.
Watch the webinar
Over the past decade the Making Markets Work for the Chars (M4C) programme has successfully demonstrated how the challenging char regions (inaccessible and unstable riverine islands) of Bangladesh can become viable opportunities for private and public sector investment.
This webinar explored the programme’s efforts to institutionalise its systemic approach to char development through a public institution, the Chars Development Research Centre (CDRC), a specialised body of the Rural Development Academy (RDA), Bogura.
M4C’s strategy focused on ensuring sustainability by identifying and strengthening an organisation capable of implementing its market facilitation approach long-term. Through its collaboration with CDRC, M4C worked to enhance the centre’s capacity, enabling it to anchor systemic development efforts, expand into new char areas, and influence government policies in favour of sustainable char development.
Drawing insights from the report Anchoring the systemic development of the chars: lessons from the M4C project in Bangladesh, this webinar looked at the processes and strategies employed to embed the M4C approach within an appropriate public institution.
The presentations concluded with an open Q&A session.
- Download the webinar slides
- Read the report: Anchoring the systemic development of the chars: lessons from the M4C project in Bangladesh
- View the programme profile: Making Markets Work for the Chars (M4C)