Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman speaks at a seminar titled “Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Early Childhood Development (ECD) Research in Bangladesh”, at a hotel in Dhaka on Tuesday. CSR Centre and Aga Khan Foundation, Bangladesh jointly organised the seminar. Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman said that the readymade garments industry acts as a catalyst for the economic development of Bangladesh by fetching billions of dollars as export earning and creating jobs for millions of people. Mentioning 85 percent of the workforce in the readymade garment industry is women, he requested the apparel factory owners to create and use of their CSR funds for improvements of their workers’ productivity. The BB governor made the remarks at a seminar on ‘Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Early Childhood Development (ECD) Research in Bangladesh’. CSR Centre and Aga Khan Foundation, Bangladesh jointly organised the seminar held at a city hotel on Tuesday. BGMEA Senior Vice-president Faruque Hassan, Additional Secretary of Women and Children Affairs Ministry AKM Nesar Uddin Bhuiyan, Counselor and Deputy Director of Canadian High Commission to Bangladesh Brian Allemekinders, CEO of Aga Khan Foundation in Bangladesh Salimah Kassam, and CEO of CSR Centre Shahamin S Zaman were present at the programme as special guests. Addressing the programme, Atiur Rahman said Bangladesh once termed by cynics a ‘bottomless basket ‘has now become a ‘basket full of wonders’. The country with its limited resources but immense human capital potential, has been maintaining 6 percent plus annual average GDP growth rate for well over a decade. About the CSR, the BB Governor said that the widening CSR activities in our financial sector have been significantly contributing towards ensuring inclusive, equitable economic and social development. Citing example of Bangladesh Bank day-care centre he said, every organisation should have a daycare centre so that their parents can work with full concentration and for the early childhood development. It would also motivate the workers to deliver their highest effort. Faruque Hassan said that BGMEA has been engaged with the CSR related activities in various form for long. “Besides the BGMEA, garment factories individually engaging in CSR activities that includes day-care centre, medical support, education and other support”, he said.He also said that CSR is not a charity activities, it is connected with productivity.
