Making Markets Work for the Chars (M4C) project in collaboration with the Rural Development Academy (RDA) organised a three-day long consultation workshop for CDRC. Given the ongoing restrictions and health security concerns, the workshop was held virtually from July 4^th till July 6^th, 2021 and included participants from both the organisers as well as lead management of implementing partners of M4C project. The interactive workshop entailed discussion sessions that contributed towards building Char Development Research Centre’s (CDRC) Annual Work Plans for the current and coming years in the new phase of the project.

On the 4^th of July 2021, chief guest Mr. Khalil Ahmed, Director General (Additional Secretary), RDA, Bogura, inaugurated the three-day long CDRC Consultation Workshop. The special guests of the workshop were Ms. Corinne Henchoz Pignani, Deputy Head of Cooperation, Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh, Ms. Syeda Zinia Rashid, PhD, Senior Programme Officer, Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh, and Mr. Mujibul Hasan Cezanne, Country Director of Swisscontact Bangladesh.

Mr. Khalil reemphasized RDA’s strategic commitment towards alleviation of rural poverty and inaugurated the workshop. He also noted RDA and M4C’s ongoing efforts in reducing vulnerability and improving livelihoods of char dwellers. Mr. Khalil thanked all the special guests, the Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh and Swisscontact for constant support to the M4C project, along with Dr. Abdul Majid, Project Director of M4C, Mr. Abdul Awal, Team Leader of M4C Project, and participants for making the workshop possible despite the challenges posed by the pandemic situation.

Ms. Corinne Henchoz Pignani, Deputy Head of Cooperation, Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh, appreciated RDA’s strong cooperation and leadership and conveyed her gratitude for organizing the workshop. Noting the inauguration as a successful moment, Ms. Syeda Zinia Rashid, Senior Programme Officer, Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh, reiterated the importance of M4C’s new phase that will now work in 6 districts, aiming to benefit at least 75,000 char households by 2024 (comprising of 375,000 men, women, and children) with an additional increased income of CHF 14.5 million, and how the work plan created through this workshop will play a key role in achieving this objective. Swisscontact Bangladesh’s Country Director, Mr. Mujibul Hasan Cezanne resonated with the project’s goals and commended RDA’s allegiance.

The workshop ended on July 6^th via a concluding session facilitated by Dr. Abdul Majid, Project Director of M4C. Dr. Majid highlighted the key focuses of the overall work plan and thanked all participants for their active participation and fruitful discussions. The workshop concluded on a positive note leaving a shared vision of the char development among the participants.

M4C is a project mandated by the Embassy of Switzerland and Ministry of LGRD and Cooperatives, Government of Bangladesh (GoB) and implemented by Swisscontact in collaboration with Rural Development Academy (RDA), Bogura. M4C and CDRC, a specialised centre of the RDA of the GoB, are jointly working towards building market linkages for char development and reducing poverty and vulnerability of char households by enhancing opportunities for income generation.