UNDP’s new draft Bangladesh Country Programme, 2012-2016

New York, June 15: During United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Executive Board meeting the draft of the new country programme for Bangladesh for the period from 2012 to 2016 was considered and will be taken up at the second regular session in September for approval. The new country programme focuses on democratic governance and human rights, pro-poor economic growth with equity and climate change, environment, disaster risk reduction and response. It reflects priorities of the Government, the priorities of United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) and interventions required to accelerate progress on the lagging Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets to meet the 2015 deadline.

Deputy Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific,  Ligia Elizondo in her presentation commended the social and economic progress made in Bangladesh. She highlighted that Bangladesh’s Human Development Index has doubled since 1980 and its poverty headcount ratio has dropped significantly from 60 percent in 1980 to 40 percent in 2005. Bangladesh’s GDP continues to grow above six percent on average. As a result, Bangladesh is on track to meet most targets set for five out of the eight MDGs, with exceptional gains already made on child mortality and gender disparity in primary and secondary school enrolment.  Despite the progress,  Elizondo emphasized that serious challenges still remain. 56 million people still live below the poverty line, inequality is rising, urbanisation is rapidly advancing and climate change impacts increasingly threaten the lives and livelihoods of large populations.

The estimated resource envelope for the proposed country programme is $553.6 million, of which $55.6 million will be allocated from UNDP regular resources and $250 million has already been mobilized as cost-sharing with partners. The remaining amount of $248 million will be mobilized from other development partners. During the last three years, the UNDP country office has delivered over $83 million (on average) and has augmented its programme, operational and advisory capacity through filled vacancies and additional staffing where necessary. 

While taking the floor the Economic Minister of the Bangladesh Mission to the UN, Mr Nojibur Rahman thanked the Executive Board for their consideration of the Bangladesh Country Programme.  He highlighted that the present country programme responds to the needs on the ground and the Government’s vision to become a middle-income country by 2021.  This is being implemented through the vision of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and aspirations of the people to transform the country into poverty free, illiteracy free, peaceful and well-governed digital Bangladesh. The new country programme document is closely aligned with the principles of the Joint Cooperation Strategy signed between the Government and its development partners to promote aid coordination. He reiterated that the focus areas of the country programme will seek to consolidate and scale-up past successes by linking practice to policy and by enhancing institutional capacities in a sustainable manner. Mr. Rahman pointed out that it is easier to plan but difficult to implement. Therefore, he called upon UNDP to continue to work closely with the Bangladesh government and other relevant stakeholders during the implementation process.