By Friendship News Desk
30 July 2026
A special workshop was held in Dhaka to identify practical strategies for making government services more accessible and inclusive for persons with disabilities. The event took place at the National Foundation for the Development of Persons with Disabilities (Jatiyo Protibondhi Unnayan Foundation – JPUF) building and was jointly organised by JPUF and Friendship. The Government’s diverse range of public welfare programmes and services remain insufficiently accessible to persons with disabilities. The workshop brought together government officials and development practitioners to discuss ways to strengthen coordination and improve the delivery of disability-inclusive services.
The workshop was inaugurated by the Chief Guest, Md. Tarikul Alam, Managing Director of JPUF. In his remarks, he emphasised the importance of ensuring needs-based services for persons with disabilities and expanding access to government services in remote and marginalised areas across Bangladesh. He also called for the effective implementation of the Rights and Protection of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2013 to strengthen disability inclusion nationwide.
Barrister Ayesha Taasin Khan, Head of Inclusive Citizenship at Friendship, served as the Special Guest of the day-long workshop. Through technical presentations and collaborative planning sessions, she highlighted the importance of an integrated action plan to strengthen rehabilitation services and ensure more effective implementation of inclusive government services for persons with disabilities.
A key objective of the workshop was to promote the adoption of the WHO Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) framework to improve access to health, education, livelihoods and other essential services for persons with disabilities, particularly those living in remote and underserved communities. Participants also emphasised the need to activate five tiers of coordination committees spanning the national to local government levels and to strengthen collaboration among JPUF, Friendship, local government institutions and relevant agencies. They further underscored the importance of identifying priority areas where Friendship can provide technical assistance to expand disability-inclusive services across the country.
JPUF representatives, including Director Sonamoni Chakma and Deputy Director Shariful Islam, Selim Hossain, Rajib Hasan, representatives from the Ministry of Social Welfare, Friendship officials, and several members of the national media attended the event. The workshop concluded with a series of strategic recommendations aimed at making government services more accessible, responsive and inclusive for persons with disabilities throughout Bangladesh.
