On 13 October 2026, the Environment and Social Development Organization – ESDO had the pleasure of welcoming Dr. Anton Purnomo, Director of the Basel and Stockholm Conventions Regional Centre for Southeast Asia (BCRC-SEA/SCRC Indonesia) and Regional Project Coordinator of GEF-UNEP Project 10523, and Mr. R. R. Bramansyah, Technical and Liaison Officer of BCRC-SEA/SCRC Indonesia, Ministry of Environment, Indonesia, to the ESDO office in Dhaka.
Dr. Shahriar Hossain, Secretary General and Senior Technical Advisor of ESDO, and Siddika Sultana, Executive Director of ESDO, warmly welcomed the distinguished guests on behalf of ESDO.
The guests visited Bangladesh to participate in the National Stakeholder Consultation Workshop on Gender Action Plan, organized by ESDO on 12 October 2026 at Hotel Lakeshore, Gulshan, Dhaka, under the project “Reducing Uses and Releases of Chemicals of Concern (CoCs), Including Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), in the Textile Sector” (GEF-UNEP 10523). Dr. Mahfuzul Haque, Former Secretary, Government of Bangladesh, and National Project Coordinator of the project, also joined the discussion.
The meeting was attended by Khalilur Rahman, Coordinator of ESDO, and Rifayat Khan Shishir, representing the ESDO project team.
During the meeting, ESDO management and the project team held an in-depth discussion with the distinguished guests on project implementation, progress, and opportunities to strengthen collaboration in reducing the use and release of hazardous chemicals in the textile sector. The discussion also emphasized gender-responsive chemical management, occupational health and safety, and coordinated efforts to promote safer and more sustainable textile production.
ESDO sincerely appreciates the valuable engagement and continued collaboration of its national and international partners.
