Municipal Association of Bangladesh

About Us

The Municipal Association of Bangladesh collaborates with local governments and international organizations to deliver top-notch services. Recognizing the importance of administrative decentralization for achieving good governance in Bangladesh, municipalities play a crucial role as a key tier of local government institutions. Strengthening and empowering municipalities is vital to ensuring that the benefits of urbanization are accessible to citizens.In many developing countries, local...

The Municipal Association of Bangladesh collaborates with local governments and international organizations to deliver top-notch services. Recognizing the importance of administrative decentralization for achieving good governance in Bangladesh, municipalities play a crucial role as a key tier of local government institutions. Strengthening and empowering municipalities is vital to ensuring that the benefits of urbanization are accessible to citizens.In many developing countries, local government authorities must take on additional roles beyond their mandated functions, such as promoting the roles and functions of local governments among citizens. However, there are challenges, including delays in devolving legal authorities and rights to local government institutions by the central government. There is a lack of initiatives to establish checks and balances between the Parliament and local government institutions in defining their rights and functions.Elected mayors, councilors, and other officials recognize the importance of establishing active and efficient municipalities to improve the lives of citizens. With this goal in mind, the Municipal Association of Bangladesh (MAB) was formed in July 2003, representing a significant number of municipality mayors.Since its inception, MAB has actively advocated for decentralization and democratization of the local government system in Bangladesh. Through seminars, workshops, and open discussions, MAB has highlighted the importance of decentralization and democratization as crucial agendas. The association aims to modernize the concept of local governance, transitioning from the traditional colonial centralized system to one that grants more responsibility to local communities.MAB has implemented various activities as a unified platform for municipalities, identifying constraints and recommending solutions to the government. Additionally, MAB has taken initiatives to support the achievements of municipal representatives, prioritizing policy advocacy for democratization and decentralization in the local government system.