Feature

Graduation Ceremony and Job Fair for MLARR

BANGLADESH is on the path to becoming a developing nation. This will require extensive infrastructure development for energy, transport, water management and private sector development. While this is integral to poverty alleviation and overall economic progress for Bangladesh, the reality is that large parts of the population will experience the negative impacts of involuntary resettlement. Overpopulation, land scarcity, outdated rules and regulations, bureaucratic hurdles and most importantly, the unclear and contested nature of land tenure create formidable challenges to effective, efficient and equitable land management and compensation to project affected people. In addition, there is a serious scarcity in technical expertise among professionals to address the complexities of land management, laws and regulations, international assessment standards and involuntary resettlement planning.

BRAC Development Institute (BDI) and the Department of Architecture at BRAC University, are attempting to fill this gap through designing and offering an intensive three month postgraduate certificate course on Management of Land Acquisition, Resettlement and Rehabilitation (MLARR). The course is the first of its kind in Bangladesh and amongst a few globally. It was developed with the assistance from the World Bank, AusAid and DFID. MLARR is primarily targeted towards professionals who are working in land acquisition or wish to deepen their understanding and gain specialization in this sector.

The first MLARR course offering has just been completed. BDI and the Department of Architecture organized a ceremony on 26 August, 2009 at the BRAC Centre to celebrate the graduation of the first set of participants of the course. The event also included a Job Fair for MLARR and other graduates to provide information on employment opportunities in land management and social development. Representatives from, IFC, World Bank, BRAC, Delta BRAC Housing, , Manusher Jonno Foundation (and their partners including Uttaran and Speed Trust), CEGIS, Chevron Bangladesh, BEPZA, IIFC, GTZ were present to showcase their work on land acquisition and involuntary resettlement.

BRAC Development Institute will be offering this course again in January 2010.