Solution Exchange Bangladesh

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Solution Exchange Bangladesh

• Presentation to Urban Sector LCG

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What is Solution Exchange

• A community of practitioners that connects
  national development professionals and taps
  Bangladeshs knowledge pool by creating a common
  platform to address development challenges
• The Community of Practice brings together
  people with common interests, goals or passions,
  so they can interact as a group and build
  connections, familiarity and trust
• These practitioners and the communities that are
  part of are organized around specific Practices
  within the MDG thematic areas

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What is Solution Exchange contd

• How it works
• Member sends the Community a query (day 1)
• Community offers Member solutions (days 2-11)
• Community Facilitator augments community response
  with research (days 2-11)
• Consolidated Reply is prepared, sent archived
  (day 12)
• Typical queries
• Tax assessment systems for local authorities
• Minimizing corruption in water service delivery
• Social security for unorganized workers
• Gender budgeting approaches
• Affordable housing schemes for urban poor
• Why it works
• Practitioners do not have to reinvent the wheel
• Decision-makers get feedback on policies, plans
  and programmes
• Development interventions have a higher chance of
  success
• New ideas and learning spread quickly and multiply

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Urban Poverty Community of PracticeWhat would
it look like?

• Focus
• The Community of Practice on Urban Poverty
  brings together professionals engaged in
  delivering basic services and amenities to urban
  populations with a particular emphasis on the
  needs of the urban poor, in order to promote
  equitable access, effective urban governance and
  sustainable growth and development of
  Bangladeshs urban settlements.
• Sample of Issues Covered
• Access of the urban poor to basic services
  Urban poverty reduction strategies Pro-poor
  urban development planning and implementation
  Urban shelter/land issues Urban governance and
  management.
• Sample of Leaders of this Community
• Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development
  and Cooperatives LCG Urban sector sub group
  members UN agencies, multi and bi-lateral
  donors civil society organizations, Policy
  think-tanks, research and academic institutions.
• Who should join
• Government policy-makers, planners, programme
  managers (national and local levels) Mayors,
  urban LGI representatives Activist and community
  leaders NGO staff private sector contractors
  and service providers Academics, professionals,
  and think tanks Professionals and practitioners
  from multilateral, bilateral and international
  organizations

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Solution Exchange Structure
Community of Practice
Convener - UNDP

• Facilitation team
• Facilitator
• Research Associate

Community Members
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What is the role for the Urban Sector LCG?

• Following the highly successful Urban
  Conversation event, UNDP wishes to find a way of
  systematizing this conversation, targeted at
  achieving results in the area of urban poverty
  reduction.
• Solution Exchange offers a tool by which to do
  so.
• Within each Community of Practice is a smaller
  Resource Group (approximately 15-20
  individuals) that offers leadership and guidance
  provides and stimulates necessary momentum and
  acts as a pool of expert knowledge for the
  Community.
• The Urban Poverty Community Resource Group is a
  potential entry point for the Urban Sector LCG, a
  clear fit of leadership, expertise, experience
  and engagement.

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Next Steps

• UNDP will begin initial administrative/logistical
  matters in the next month
• Following the recruitment of the CoP Facilitator,
  the resource group is approached (by facilitator)
  and signed up (month 2)
• Community members solicited and signed up (months
  2-3)
• Launch event identified CoP focus/issues etc
  finalised explanatory and promotional materials
  produced (month 3)
• First query posted replies solicited first
  Consolidated Replies generated (month 3-4)