Since 1972, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been partnering with the people and communities of Bangladesh at various levels with significant contributions in reducing poverty, and the country's vulnerability to climate change and disaster, supporting democratic goverance and sustainable, green growth.
Our Goal
Over the past decade and a half, Bangladesh has made impressive gains in key human development indicators. Major challenges inn development do, however, remain. More than 63 million people live below the poverty line, the constant threat of extreme weather events - natural and manmade - the uncertain impact of globalization and an increasingly competitive international trade environment impede higher growth rates.
Our work in Bangladesh
Poverty Reduction
The UNDP Poverty Reduction Cluster supports the process of social inclusion and local economic development through four interlinked approaches: local ownership, capacity development, income and employment generation and social protection. Local problems need local solutions, and the Poverty Reduction Cluster bridges the gap between Government, NGOs, donors, and most importantly local communities to put programs and resources where they are needed most.
UNDP embarked on its journey in Bangladesh on July 31, 1972. Focusing on local ownership, capacity development, income and employment generation and social protection, UNDP engages with various governmental agencies and partners to work towards economic and social development in Bangladesh.
Democratic Governance
Since Bangladesh’s independence, the country has made significant progress in building and consolidating key institutions to safeguard its democracy and rule of law. Electoral-management bodies have been created, a National Human Rights Institution acts as a watchdog, and the government’s effectiveness is on the rise. The country continues to innovate and address, in a sustainable manner, the widespread issue of poverty and the impacts of climate change.
UNDP’s support in these reforms has been instrumental and will continue to be so in the coming years. We work in tandem with the Government of Bangladesh through policy advisory, capacity development, and sharing of best practices. Major initiatives have been undertaken to improve the government’s ability to engage with its citizens and serve the public efficiently, with a crosscutting focus on women, children and underprivileged groups. UNDP also maintains a strong relationship with civil society organizations such as NGOs, academia, community leaders and the media. We seek to build a strong counterbalance to preserve stability, democracy, and people’s confidence in their government’s institutions.
Crisis Prevention and Recovery
UNDP provides policy advisory services and capacity development to the Government of Bangladesh in risk mitigation and effective humanitarian response. From a government perspective, disaster management is a fundamental component of the national agenda with the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management playing a central role. UNDP has established itself as the primary partner of the government in disaster management, and works closely with the vibrant and active humanitarian community and civil society to ensure national ownership. In the post-conflict Chittagong Hill Tracts – in the south east of Bangladesh – UNDP is leading an area-based peace building initiative in partnership with local government institutions as laid out in the 1997 Peace Accord.
UNDP has been actively supporting the efforts of the Government to reduce the adverse impacts of hazards with specific targets of (a) integrating disaster risk reduction into sustainable development policies and plans; (b) strengthening institutional capacities and mechanisms to build resilience to hazards and (c) incorporating systematic risk reduction approaches into the implementation of emergency preparedness, response and recovery programmes. In collaboration with the Government and like-minded donors, UNDP has created two large programme portfolios – Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) and Humanitarian Response Team.
Environment and Energy
Bangladesh’s is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to the effects of climate change. The loss of biodiversity, rising sea levels, devastating cyclones, floods and drought are concrete impacts of the global temperature rise. The poor are disproportionately affected by this degradation and lack access to crucial resources to adapt their living to the on-going environmental threats.
Recognizing these major challenges, Bangladesh has been massively investing in adaptive measures and out of the box solutions to create resilient communities. UNDP’s support to the Government of Bangladesh aims at turning the current unsustainable growth into sustainable and pro-poor development. We do so in enabling the country to better control its green house gases emissions, manage its natural resources, to become more energy efficient and to develop coping mechanisms. UNDP also plays a catalytic role to ensure that climate change mitigation lies at the heart of national policies and development planning.
