ADPC facilitated and hosted the kick-off meeting of the second phase of the Bangladesh Preparedness Partnership (BPP) Program on 12 September 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand. Under the leadership and guidance of the Ministry of Disaster Management & Relief (MoDMR), Bangladesh, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the kick-off meeting was attended by various sectoral organizations as part of the BPP partnership.

Phase 2 of the BPP officially commenced in September 2023. It builds on the foundation of trust, success, and learnings from the four years of establishing BPP in Bangladesh. BPP is designed as an innovative partnership to support the Government of Bangladesh in leading and operationalizing its flagship policy of Standing Orders on Disaster (SOD) 2019. It promotes local actors' active participation and multi-stakeholder engagement from the national to the sub-national levels in line with the 'Whole of Society Approach' promoted by the SOD 2019.

Mr. Kamrul Hasan, ndc, Hon’ble Secretary,MoDMR, sharing his opening remarks.

The one-day meeting aimed to deepen the commitment to the vision, goal, and objectives of BPP Phase 2; improve alignment on the vision of BPP Phase 2 with the priorities and agendas of the partners, and build consensus on the approach and expectations from BPP Phase 2 moving forward. Mr. Kamrul Hasan, ndc - Secretary, MoDMR - opened the meeting with appreciation for the second journey of the BPP. He extended full support and commitment from his Ministry in taking the BPP partnership forward.

Mr. Aslam Perwaiz, Deputy ExecutiveDirector, ADPC, sharing his opening remarks.

Ms. Pilar Pacheco, Senior Program Officer, Emergency Response from the Foundation, appreciated the partners' and government's commitment and energy to BPP and shaping and building the roadmap ahead for a strong partnership contributing to responding to disasters in Bangladesh. The SOD provides a great framework; therefore, leveraging our collective expertise, it is important to strive to do better continually and assess how we contribute to other sectors, such as health and agriculture.

Mr. Aslam Perwaiz, Deputy Executive Director from ADPC commended the role of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief in creating such an environment, allowing the development partners to make a good case for disaster risk reduction through innovation, inclusiveness, and institutions. The SOD 2019 allows establishing a disaster management committee at every level. The vertical integration of institutions across various levels of government and the horizontal integration of stakeholders within each level provides the BPP - a partnership to support the Government of Bangladesh in leading and operationalizing its flagship policy of SOD.

Senior officials from the Ministry and LNGO and Academia sector representatives presented the learnings and avenues for shaping and integrating the partnership going forward in the country. The approach and learnings from the successful Cyclone Preparedness Program were also shared to create a model and sustainable partnership for effective SOD implementation.

The BPP partnership comprises 15 member organizations with representatives from the Government, Academia, the Private sector, and the local humanitarian organization networks led by the MoDMR. -Representatives from the Department of Disaster Management (DDM), Cyclone Preparedness Program (CPP), Bangladesh Fire Services and Civil Defence (FSCD), Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce & Industries (FBCCI), Foundation of Disaster Forum, University of Dhaka, BRAC University, and District Relief and Rehabilitation Officers from Bagerhat and Kurigram- select BPP districts from Phase 1.

BPP will build and strengthen the multi-stakeholder partnership forward; enhance operational and technical capacities, and innovative knowledge-sharing and research application for effective SOD implementation from the national to the sub-national levels in Bangladesh.