ARK Foundation and Centre for Law and Policy Affairs (CLPA) Trust jointly organized a webinar titled “Health Systems Responses to COVID-19: learning across Bangladesh and Vietnam” which was held on Jun 30, 2020, 03:00 PM Astana, Dhaka. As the panel discussion of the webinar was Professor Dr. Mahmudur Rahman Former Director, IEDCR, Bangladesh, Dr. Nitish C. Debnath Team Leader, Fleming Fund Project, Bangladesh, Dr. Khaleda Islam Director, Primary Health Care (Retired) DGHS, Bangladesh, Dr. Jahangir Khan Senior Health Economist Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK, Dr. Pham Quang Thai Member, Rapid response information team, National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, Hanoi, Vietnam, Dr . Tolib Mirzoev Head, Nuffield Centre for International Health & Development University of Leeds, UK, Advocate Sayed Mahbubul Alam Secretary Centre for Law and Policy Affairs (CLPA) Trust, ModeratorProfessor Dr. Rumana Huque Department of Economics, University of Dhaka Executive Director, ARK Foundation, Bangladesh. The resource persons of the webinar gave their consent about that the more tests, proper quarantine and lockdown can bring a solution to the Covid-19. Ensuring quarantine by identifying people who come in contact with victims through perfect contract tracing and making decisions about them at least twice. If there are more patients somewhere, those places have been locked down. It has been confirmed that he will have a 14-day compulsory quarantine from one area to another. In Vietnam, 25 ministries are working under the leadership of the National Committee on Corona. There are special arrangements for mutual coordination. This is what Vietnam has done in dealing with the enemy in the way it does not need to fight in the face of war. As a result, that success has already been achieved. In Vietnam, only 1 out of every 1,000 people is infected. There is no alternative to the test to prevent corona. Corona must be adequately safe to deal with. Health workers, including doctors, need to be trained for safety. The solution to this epidemic is possible only by identifying the various risks.

ARK Foundation and Centre for Law and Policy Affairs (CLPA) Trust jointly organized a webinar titled “Implementing the Infectious Diseases (Prevention, Control, and Eradication) Act 2018, prevent the spread of Covid 19  Establishment of National Health Command.” which was held on 25th June 2020. As the panel discussion of the webinar were Member of Parliament Barrister Shamim Haider Patwari, Bangladesh Cancer Society Project Director. Golam Mohiuddin Faruk, AKM Maksud of Gram Bangla Development Committee. Ark Foundation Executive Director Professor Dr. Romana Haque.

They said that since the Infectious Diseases Control Act and other laws are involved, it is possible for the National Health Command to play an important role in the integrated implementation and enforcement of the law. The two researchers said that it should be acknowledged that Bangladesh has taken many steps as a developed welfare state during the general holiday in this disaster. But the general holiday or lockdown did not work out as expected due to a lack of coordination and planning. Research and analysis by the CLPA Trust show that the opinion of the Department of Health was not given priority in the case of lock-down or general leave. 

The Department of Health has been asked to lead under the Infectious Diseases Control Act, but in practice, this has not happened. He said the National Health Command is essential for the coordination of healthcare from the grassroots to the national level. Mr. AKM Maqsood said the people need to be involved in the law-making process for the implementation of the law. Covid 19 creates some special conditions, it is necessary to amend the law by raising those issues through research.

Center for Law and Policy Affairs (CLPA) Trust organized a  webinar titled “Volunteer in Corona - Bangladesh of the future” which was held on 19th June 2020. As the panel discussion of the webinar were Ferdous Ahmed Ujjain, representative of the campaign of Chal, Dal, Alu, Ahsan Rony, Green Savers, Liza Asma Akhter, Provide Cooked Foods in Corona pandemic, Syed Saiful Alam, Team SOS, Shadman Shakib Anik, CSR window, Marjia Prabha, Social Worker, Ahsan Habib Murad, Himu Paribahan and this webinar conducted by: Aminul Islam Bakul, CLPA Trust. Volunteers have been working on humanitarian assistance since the starting date of the general holiday in the wake of the Corona pandemic. In these difficult times, they are beside the people with food, health, and medical assistance. The volunteers have gained many experiences during this time. These experiences can play an important role in planning and policy-making in the future to tackle this kind of pandemic situation.

Ark Foundation and Center for Law and Policy Affairs (CLPA) Trust jointly organized a  webinar titled ” Health management to deal with corona” which was held on 13th June 2020. As the panel discussion of the webinar were Professor Dr. Shah Monir Hossain, former Director-General, Department of Health, Professor Dr. Golam Mohiuddin Farooq, Cancer Specialist, Mozaherul Haque, Regional Consultant, World Health Organization, Advocate Syed Mahbubul Alam, lawyer, and policy analyst, The program will be conducted by Professor. Rumana Haque,  Department of Economics, Dhaka University and Executive Director, Arch Foundation.

Center for Law and Policy Affairs (CLPA) Trust organized a  webinar titled” Discussion meeting on e-Court possibilities, obstacles, and future” which was held on 17th May 2020. 

Discussion meeting on the possibilities, disadvantages, and future of e-court organized by the Center for Law and Policy Affairs. The meeting was attended by Barrister Bibhuti Tarafdar, Advocate Abdul Jabbar Manush, Advocate Shah Alam, Advocate Shahnewaz, Advocate Yasmin Mumtaz, Human Rights Activist and Researcher AKM Maqsood, Advocate Faisal, Advocate Syed Mahbubul Alam. The meeting was moderated by Barrister Nishat Mahmood.

Center for Law and Policy Affairs (CLPA) Trust and Public Health Lawyers Network jointly organized a webinar titled ” The past, present, and future of the case in the public interest”   which was held on 10th May 2020. As the panel discussion of the webinar were prominent lawyer and Human rights activist Zahirul Islam Khan, Advocate, Bangladesh Supreme Court deliberated his speech. Barrister Nishat Mahmud and Advocate Syed Mahbubul Alam Tahin were also attending the meeting 

Center for Law and Policy Affairs (CLPA) Trust organized a Focus Group Discussion-FGD titled ” Meeting to implement the Infectious Diseases (Prevention, Control, and Eradication) Act, 2018 to prevent the spread of corona” which was held on 25th April 2020. There are many Advocates, representatives of development partners who also attended the meeting and they gave many recommendations about the CORONA Pandemic situation and the gap in our existing law policy and implementation.