The first-ever conference of Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNOs) in Bangladesh is set to be held on December 1, following the model of the annual Deputy Commissioners’ (DCs) conference. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will formally inaugurate the event.

The conference is likely to take place at the China Friendship Conference Centre in the capital.

According to sources at the Cabinet Division, the initiative to organise the first-ever “UNO Conference 2026” has been taken to ensure the effective implementation of government policies and priorities at the upazila level, a crucial tier of field administration.

The Cabinet Division organises the DC conference every year. The daylong UNO conference aims to provide participating officials with direct guidance on government policies, development programmes and priority initiatives. It will also serve as a platform to discuss existing challenges and opportunities in delivering public services and implementing development activities at the upazila level. A draft schedule for the conference has already been prepared.

According to sources, key issues to be discussed include coordination of upazila development activities, accelerating government programmes and development projects, land management, maintaining law and order, and strengthening local government institutions, including upazila and union parishads.

Other important topics will include disaster management, relief and rehabilitation, rural infrastructure construction and renovation, poverty alleviation, controlling commodity prices, agricultural development, implementing social safety-net programmes and maintaining religious harmony.

The conference will also address the challenges faced by UNOs while carrying out their responsibilities at the grassroots level. Representatives from relevant ministries and divisions are expected to provide direct guidance on these issues.

Senior secretaries or secretaries from the Local Government Division, Ministry of Public Administration, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Land, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, Health Services Division, Ministry of Social Welfare, and Ministry of Religious Affairs are expected to attend and provide guidance to the participating officials.

Officials concerned expect the conference to strengthen coordination between central government policies and field-level administration. It is also expected to help identify and address existing obstacles to delivering public services and implementing development programmes at the upazila level.