VIDEO: Bangladesh MP and Honorary IPU President Saber Chowdhury on parliament's role in achieving SDGs

Speakers of Parliament from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka assembled in Malé, Maldives, on 1 and 2 September 2019, for the fourth South Asian Speakers’ Summit on Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As representatives of

A group of Bangladeshi parliamentarians travelled to four districts in the country to raise awareness about the problems associated with child marriage. The districts—Gaibandha, Naogaon, Satkhira and Sirajganj—have a high incidence of child, early, and forced marriage (CEFM).

A parliamentary side event, "Bridging the Gap between Evidence and Policy: The Role of Parliamentarians in Advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" will be organized at the 70th World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva on 29 May. Organized by the IPU and WHO under the sponsorship of Austria, Bangladesh and Cameroon, the side event aims to facilitate dialogue between MPs and the health community, and allow MPs to contribute to the global health agenda.

During the 136th IPU Assembly in Dhaka, 40 parliamentarians carried out a field visit to two facilities catering to the needs of adolescents and disadvantaged children. The facilities—the Adolescent Development and Participation (ADP) club and the Early Childhood Development (ECD)

Speakers of Parliaments from South Asia met to discuss the implementation of the SDGs in the region and further defined the opportunities and challenges facing South Asian parliaments in working to implement the SDGs.

Parliamentary leaders will meet in New York on 17-18 November for the Second Preparatory Committee of the 4th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament. The Committee will define the main objectives of the 2015 Conference, its overall theme and main elements of the outcome document, exact date and venue.