Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen
I am delighted to be present at the concluding day of the five-day Regional Seminar on Parliament and Good Governance. The general aim of the seminar has been to set a new agenda for the strengthening of parliamentary accountability. The newspapers reports of last few days' proceeding indicate that you have had a very fruitful discussion on a number of very important topics covering the different aspects of the functioning of Parliament. As the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Bangladesh I can categorically state that the role of Parliamentarians in promoting good governance is of utmost importance and significance.
Like to recently concluded SAARC Conference of Speakers and Parliamentarians this seminar had brought together Members of Parliament from the South Asian countries to discuss and propose some recommendations on issues which are common in this geographical region. You also had the participation of various non-governmental organisations (NGOs), which added a new dimension to the deliberation. This rich interaction has produced a number of practical recommendations, which I am told will be released later today at a press conference.
I am happy to inform you that a number of initiatives have been undertaken within the Parliament of Bangladesh in order to strengthen its capacity. It is my sincere hope that the steps which have been undertaken by this Regional Seminar to bring together new ideas from both parliamentarians and the civil society would make the institution of Parliament in this region more effective. The ultimate aim is to improve governance for the betterment of citizens' quality of life.
I wish the joint effort of Transparency International- Bangladesh, Parliamentary Centre and the World Bank Institute all the success in the future. I also thank the Honourable Parliamentarians for devoting their time and effort so generously.