• Primarily to sustain the Friendship Link between Rochdale (UK) & Sylhet (Bangladesh)

• Share good practice in the areas of business & commerce, public sector & governance between Rochdale Borough Council and Sylhet City Corporation

•  Foster/exchange school & educational links

• ​Promote trade & investment opportunities between Rochdale (UK) & Sylhet (Bangladesh)

• Link the historical/cultural connections the Bangladeshi community of Rochdale has with Sylhet, Bangladesh.

• Develop and support projects in Sylhet in health, welfare, education  & the environment.

• Create a platform for mutual understanding & respect amongst Bangladeshi's and the multi cultural communities of Rochdale, thus creating harmony and sustaining community cohesion.

A bit about RBPP…

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• The “Rochdale Bangladeshi Partnership Project” (RBPP) was formed by a group of individuals from the Bangladeshi community (in Rochdale) in March 2008.

• The RBPP is a non political voluntary organisation and represents the whole of the Bangladeshi community irrespective of their political affiliation, social class, background, religious beliefs, gender, profession or ties with Bangladesh.

• Rochdale has a significant Bangladeshi population; with 2nd, 3rd and even 4th generation Bengali’s living and working in the Borough. According to the 2001 census the Bangladeshi population of Rochdale was just under 4000, a recent estimate suggests that there are now around 7000. The vast majority of the Bangladeshi community is very young (below 25 years old) and has been born here.

• The Bangladeshi community is flourishing in all walks of life from business to sports, education to arts, and politics to current affairs. The previous British High Commissioner to Bangladesh (Anwar Chowdhury) was brought up & educated in Rochdale (The 1st highest rank diplomat from any BME groups). British Bangladeshi’s are represented in many local authority, private sector and voluntary sector organisations from doctors, engineers, accountants to budding entrepreneurs, the list goes on…

• There is a wealth of talent out there and we have talented professionals working in diverse sectors who will be able to share there expertise i.e. regeneration, town master plans, careers service, education, youth services, traffic management etc.

• The Borough of Rochdale has formal twinning arrangements with four places: Two were originally twinned with a place within the Metropolitan Borough boundaries prior to its creation in 1974. The twin towns are: Bielefeld (Germany), Tourcoing (France), Peine (Germany), and Sahiwal (Pakistan). In addition, Rochdale MBC supports Friendship Links with Lviv (Ukraine), Avellino (Italy), Kabernet (Kenya), Riga (Latvia) and Sylhet (Bangladesh).​
   

• The RBPP adjoined Sylhet in March 2009; to foster a friendship link that can be sustained for generations to come and work for the common good of our communities here in Rochdale and in Sylhet.

• The exploratory visit (April 2009) was the beginning of the friendship link with the people of Sylhet. Which proved to be a great historic occasion for those who attended and indeed for the Rochdale MBC and its inhabitants.