A two-week long International Training Workshop on Achieving Sustainable Development Goals: Financial Inclusion and Rural Transformation has started at the Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development, or BARD. The African Asian Rural Development Organization (AARDO), New Delhi, and Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh jointly sponsored this training workshop. A total of 20 participants from 12 member countries namely Sri Lanka, Egypt, India, Ghana, Zambia, Namibia, Gambia, Pakistan, Oman, Malaysia, Kenya and Bangladesh are taking part in this international training workshop.

The aim of the workshop is to analyze the existing situation of financial inclusion and increase the efficacy of the implementation of financial inclusion programme in the rural areas and thus to help the policy- makers and financial service providers of the member states of AARDO for achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs). The inaugural session of that international training workshop was held on December 2 at BARD. The session was chaired by Saif Uddin Ahmed, Director General of BARD while Aslam Khan, Head of Finance Division, AARDO was present as the guest of honour.

Md. Moklesur Rahman, ndc, Secretary (Routine Charge), Rural Development and Co-operatives Division was present as the special guest in that event. Along with the dignitaries, Director (Training) of BARD, Workshop Director, distinguished foreign delegates and participants from different AARDO member countries, Faculty Members of BARD were also present in this august occasion. In the speech of the chairperson, Saif Uddin Ahmed, the Director General of BARD said that from this training workshop, the trainees would be able to prepare an action plan for the inclusion of the poor people in their financial institutions utilizing lessons learnt from this international workshop. He also said that BARD had been working through cooperatives since early sixties to ensure financial inclusion among the rural population.

Aslam Khan, Head of Finance Division, AARDO, said that this workshop was unique and it would be effective and helpful to rural development practitioners. He thanked the BARD authority and concerned officials of the Ministry of the Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives for organizing this important workshop. In this training workshop, Dr. Shishir Kumar Munshi, Director, BARD acted as Workshop Director whereas Abdullah Al Mamun, Director, BARD acted as Workshop Coordinator. Md. Abu Taleb, Joint Director and Abdulla-Al-Mamun, Assistant Director, acted as Associate and Assistant Workshop Director respectively.

BARD in collaboration with AARDO has organised a series of training courses titled International Training Workshop on Governance in Microcredit Delivery System for Rural Development for officials from African and Asian countries. However, in the changed context after the adoption of SDGs, the two organizations felt the necessity of a new series of training programme with financial inclusion and rural transformation as the centerpieces.

The author is Assistant Director, BARD and Assistant Workshop Director.