Published : 13 Aug 2026, 11:52 PM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:32 AM
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Local Government Division (LGD) have jointly organised the National Dissemination Workshop on National Urban Policy 2025 in Dhaka.
The programme aimed to familiarise stakeholders with the policy and gather recommendations for its implementation action plan, the UNDP said.
With support from the UK government, the workshop brought together government officials, local authorities, development partners, academics, researchers and urban development professionals.
More than one-third of Bangladesh’s population now lives in urban areas, which generate nearly 65 percent of GDP, according to the UNDP.
Participants in the event called for coordinated efforts to implement the NUP 2025 and build more liveable, inclusive, and climate-resilient cities.
Urban Development Directorate chief (Additional Secretary) Md Mahmud Ali said urban development requires coordination across ministries and sectors, with participation from public and private institutions, development authorities, academia, professionals, and urban residents.
Local Government Division Joint Secretary Samsul Islam said the focus must now shift from policy to implementation.
“We want the National Urban Policy 2025 to go beyond being a policy document and become an effective tool for real change in urban planning, management, infrastructure development and service delivery,” he was quoted as saying by the UNDP.
UNDP Bangladesh Senior Governance Specialist Tanvir Mahmud said, “The success of the National Urban Policy will depend on how effectively it is applied. National policy directions need to connect with local realities, capacities and priorities.”
He said government ownership should remain central, while development partners could contribute technical expertise, evidence, innovation, capacity building and partnerships.
The policy was developed under the leadership of the Local Government Division with contributions from an inter-ministerial committee and agencies including the Public Works Department, Ministry of Planning and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
BUET's Department of Urban and Regional Planning Prof Shakil Akther presented the policy, followed by an open discussion on its implementation.
Nathaniel Smith of the British High Commission, Asian Development Bank Urban Specialist Amit Datta Roy, Khulna University Prof Fawzia Farzana and UNDP's Yugesh Pradhanang also attended the workshop.
