Bangladesh Conference May 2006
Forum for the Future II : 1st - 3rd May 2006
On May 1st-3rd 2006, the MFA Forum met again in Dhaka with key industry stakeholders for a series of meetings and a public event that followed up on the first MFA Forum/UNDP 'Forum for the Future' conference held in June 2005.
On May 1st, the MFA Forum buyers group met with international and local representatives to discuss key issues and concerns for that sector, and to come to consensus on the buyers' commitments and requests for the next two days of multi-stakeholder dialogue. The companies present agreed to a common code of conduct, as suppliers had requested in June 2005, and agreed to begin a process for harmonizing their approach to non-compliance, and to reach out to other companies sourcing in Bangladesh to encourage their participation in this group and create a level playing field for suppliers.
The buyers group came to consensus on what they see as the key competitiveness issues for Bangladesh that also impact on working conditions, and which they would propose for urgent attention during the multi-stakeholder conference. The group also agreed to advocate that the minimum wage should be reviewed upwards.
On May 2nd-3rd, the Forum for the Future II conference took place. The 2nd May was a closed-door meeting for key representatives of all stakeholders to update one another on the work that has been undertaken by each sector in the past year. This session also identified current work taking place on the key competitiveness issues and led to agreement and commitment by stakeholders on a roadmap going forward. This is detailed in the Conference Report, but includes:
Skills development at all levels in the industry - for both improved productivity and compliance.
Improving infrastructure, bureaucracy and the investment climate.
Compliance and national law enforcement.
The role of key organisations
Each stakeholder group had the opportunity to discuss how they see their role in implementing the activities identified in the roadmap. The key outcomes regarding implementation of the roadmap were:
All stakeholder groups expressed strong commitment to this participatory process and to tackling issues in collaboration with others where appropriate.
The government (represented by the Ministry of Commerce) will take leadership in a multi-stakeholder process that fully actions a roadmap for responsible competitiveness in the Bangladesh RMG industry.
The current National Social Compliance Forum set up by Ministry of Commerce in June 2005 will be extended to cover broader competitiveness issues as well as compliance, and will be made truly multi-stakeholder.
The MFA Forum was requested by the Minister of Commerce to work with the government to support them in leading a National Forum to develop responsible competitiveness in the RMG sector.
The Minister of Commerce agreed that the minimum wage is too low and that a review should be prioritised.
The 3rd May was a public conference for all stakeholders. This was a chance to review impact of the last 18 months of trade liberalisation on the Bangladesh RMG sector, and there was a strong message that the industry should not be complacent about the fact that orders have risen, because this is thought to be due to current safeguards on China.
This conference allowed for open discussion amongst a larger group about the proposals developed for the industry on the 2nd May meeting and for questions about different stakeholders' roles in sustaining the industry. The conference was concluded with a press conference in which the government, manufacturers, buyers, and trade unions were open to the scrutiny of the press for over one hour.
One of the key outcomes of the Forum for the Future II conference was the establishment of the nationally-led Multi-stakeholder Forum Bangladesh (MFB).
Conference Documentation