Government officials and other stakeholders made their observations while addressing district-level consultation between civil society organisations (CSOs) and government administration of Rajshahi. Photo: BSS

RAJSHAHI, March 9, 2026 (BSS)- Speakers at a meeting here today unequivocally 
called for a concerted effort of all the government and non-government 
organisations concerned for ensuring cohesion and peace everywhere in the 
society for overall development of the country.
 
Highlighting the significance of building inclusive society they mentioned 
that all social actors and the leaders of influences should come forward and 
work together to attain the cherished goal.

Government officials and other stakeholders made the observations while 
addressing a district-level consultation between civil society organisations 
(CSOs) and government administration of Rajshahi.

Social Cohesion Network (SCN) organised the meeting at the office conference 
hall of the Deputy Commissioner (DC) supported by United Nations Development 
Programme (UNDP) and RUPANTAR.

DC Afia Akhter presided over the meeting while UNDP Senior Governance 
Specialist Sheela Tasneem Haq welcomed the participants.

District Legal Aid Officer Shariful Islam Khan, Additional DC Tuktuk 
Talukder, Additional Superintendent of Police Sabina Yeasmin, Executive 
Director of Anagrasar Samaj Unnayan Sangstha Raj Kumar Shawn, Executive 
Director of Barendra Unnayan Prochesta Foyzullah Chowdhury, among others, 
spoke.

RUPANTAR Director Shahadat Hossain Bacchu gave an overview of their project 
titled "Strengthening the Capacity of Civil Society Organizations to Promote 
Social Cohesion and Peace Building Efforts in Communities".

He said SCN has been designed to foster trust, solidarity, and inclusion 
within a community. These networks aim to create "social glue" that reduces 
marginalization and strengthens resilience against external shocks, such as 
conflict or disasters.

Shahadat Hossain also said the project is mandated to enhance the ability of 
local actors to foster peace, trust, and resilience together with building a 
sustainable foundation for peace and social cohesion by empowering local 
CSOs, community groups, and volunteer networks to proactively manage conflict 
and enhance community resilience.
 
In her remarks, DC Afia Akhter said utmost emphasis should be given on 
boosting the capacity of CSOs to advocate for social cohesion, influence 
local policies, and promote human rights, ensuring that citizen voices are 
heard in decision-making processes.

She also said more work should be done in the field of enhancing the active 
participation of women, youth, and vulnerable populations in peace building, 
social cohesion, and community resilience efforts.

"There is no way but to facilitate, create, and strengthen local-level 
mechanisms for dialogue, trust-building, and confidence-building, 
particularly across conflict divides," she added.