Message from the Country Director: Dear Friends, Inclusive development and community participation were major themes for the World Bank in the past month. Strengthening the systems that help communities help themselves is a guiding principle which is reflected in our programs and our engagement in Bangladesh. I would especially like to highlight our support of local government that is featured in this edition of the newsletter. Effective local government increases participation and accountability and allows people to better shape their local services. I am also positive that you will enjoy reading about the World Bank's Reaching out of School Children Project, which is enrolling underprivileged, out-of-school children in community driven learning centers. In this edition of the newsletter we are also focusing on transport issues. Road accidents and the deaths and injuries they cause have become a silent epidemic, and in Bangladesh it is the poor that are most affected as my World Bank colleague Mohiuzzaman Quazi explains in his article. He points out that many accidents are preventable, recommending road safety campaigns among vulnerable groups and improved safety nets to help the victims. Finally, you can read about the World Bank's involvement in modernizing Bangladesh Railways.
As always, I look forward to hearing your comments on this newsletter. Please e-mail us at wbdhakanews@worldbank.org with any feedback you may have. Best wishes, Christine I. Wallich
Country Director
********* Highlights 1. Bringing Service Delivery Closer to the People through Local Government
2. Reaching Out of School Children
3. Road Safety and Poverty in Bangladesh
4. The Future of Bangladesh Railways: Learning from International Experience More from the World Bank 5. World Bank Bangladesh Country Assistance Strategy
6. World Bank Supported Projects in Bangladesh
7. Reports and Analysis on Bangladesh from the World Bank
8. Global Reading from the World Bank (Please visit us at http://www.worldbank.org.bd to download these and other documents)
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1. Bringing Service Delivery Closer to the People through Local Government The Government of Bangladesh is committed to improving local governance by strengthening the Union Parishads (UPs) and in 2004 it introduced a system of block grant financing for the UPs. Effective local government can bring the state closer to communities, creating space for broader political participation and greater accountability. UPs are a century-old traditional democratic institution and have a rich heritage of dealing with rural people's day-to-day problems. Until now they have been the neglected lowest tier of local governance, despite being close to the people and the first point of contact many have with the state. UPs are also the provider of most local services. Following the Government's initiative, the World Bank recently approved a US$111.5 million IDA credit through the Local Government Support Project to be used by the UPs to improve the services they can offer. This could mean improving water and sanitation conditions of a community, or an investment in local infrastructure such as a new embankment. Some of the money will also be used to improve the quality and accountability of the UPs. In its first year, the Local Governance Support Project will focus on capacity building in UPs, particularly in regard to financial management and procurement. Following this capacity building period, UPs will receive additional fiscal transfers through the Government’s block grant system. The block grants are partially funded by the World Bank.
The initiative will reward well run UPs, as grants will be performance-based. It will also strengthen local governments’ ability to respond to community development priorities. Alongside the block grants, a safety net program for the rural poor will also be piloted through 15 UPs. Several other donors may also join in supporting the Government's local governace initiative. more>> Download project documents =====================================================================
2. Reaching Out of School Children Bangladesh has taken great strides in increasing primary enrolment and literacy levels. However, there are still around six million children out of school. Many of these children don’t have access to existing schools or have dropped out of education. In support of the Government’s ‘Education for All’ initiative, the World Bank, through the Reaching Out of School Children Project (ROSC), aims to reduce the number of out of school children through improving access, quality and efficiency in primary education. The Reaching Out of School Children Project, which commenced in mid 2004 with grant financing of US$51 million from the World Bank and funding from the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation, aims to enroll half a million out-of-school children in Learning Centers. These centers are managed by communities with support from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and cater to children from the poorest segments of society. Working with children aged between 7-14 years, they follow the government curriculum but at the same time take into account the fact that some of the students have never attended school before. Many students later move on to the government-supported primary school system. The scheme complements the Government’s Primary Education Development Program (PEDPII), and the number of learning centers has expanded rapidly, from 727 in 2005, to more than 8,000 in 2006.They operate all over Bangladesh and more than 200,000 children have been enrolled.more>> Read the story in Bangla | Download project documents
========================================================================================= 3. Road Safety and Poverty in Bangladesh In Bangladesh research sponsored by UNICEF shows that road accidents are the leading cause of death among children aged 10-14 years. In neighbouring India, road accidents are the ninth leading cause of death and disability nationwide. Road accidents disproportionately impact on the poor and their consequences can plunge a household into acute poverty. Deaths force poor families into debt while disabilities caused by accidents add to a family’s burden. For society as a whole the costs are huge. Around 70 per cent of accident victims are in the age group, 16-50 years, the most economically active group, while more than 50 per cent of emergency beds in government hospitals in Bangladesh are occupied by road accident victims. The World Bank’s Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF) was launched in November 2005, and commenced operations in April 2006. The Facility is a direct response to the global call for action by the United Nations General Assembly Resolutions (improving global road safety and World Health Assembly Resolution (Road Safety and Health), to address the silent epidemic on the world’s roads. In Bangladesh a National Road Safety Council has been established and the government has stressed its commitment to implementing measures to reduce and prevent road accidents. Several small scale initiatives, such as bus driver training, have also been started by NGOs. "Experience from high income countries demonstrates that road deaths and injuries are preventable," said Mohiuzzaman Quazi, senior World Bank staff in Dhaka, addressing an international conference on Road Safety in Developing Countries organized by the Accident Research Centre of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). Among the recommendations for Bangladesh are: increased safety campaigns directed towards pedestrians and targeted groups such as garment workers, as well as a strengthening of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation's (BRTC) oversight and the lisencing of commercial vehicle drivers. There is also a need for improved safety nets to help households cope with the financial burden caused by road traffic accidents. more>>
========================================================================================= 4. The Future of Bangladesh Railway: Learning from International Experience
For many years, the Government’s transport strategy has largely focused on the road sector – with 85% of the Government's annual transport development budget allocated to roads. Donor support broadly mirrored this pattern of emphasis. Railways have received very little capital investment, because most available government funding goes to underwriting its losses on operations and passenger services. With dilapidated infrastructure and rolling stock, and associated poor staff morale, railways have been pushed to the fringes of the country’s transport system. In an effort to partially redress the balance the World Bank, ADB and JBIC are joining hands to support the Government's Bangladesh Railway reform program. A multi-year, multi-donor program of up to US$ 700-800 million is being conceived. The program will be designed to include both policy reform -based (budget support) credit, and investment ("project") support for the upgrading and expansion of track, improving signaling and communication, and procurement of rolling stock. The World Bank Board is expected to consider the first $40m Development Policy Credit in October. The donor-supported investment program is based on the Government's own medium-term transport sector investment program and its provisions for Bangladesh Railway. A recent seminar organized by the World Bank and Bangladesh Railways, brought together international experts on railways to discuss the problems and potential of the network in Bangladesh, and to examine how other countries have reformed their railways. The seminar heard that the improvement of rail transport was crucial to future economic growth as roads are costly in terms of land use, the environment and accidents. The successful railway reforms in Japan and Romania were also analyzed. “For Bangladesh Railways to better support the economy, a major modernization will be needed, calling for the coordinated effort of the Government, Railways management and labour and donor partners,” said Christine Wallich, World Bank Country Director, during her address to the seminar. Country Director's Speech | Download project documents =========================================================================================
More from the World Bank
5. World Bank Bangladesh Country Assistance Strategy
The World Bank’s Country Assistance Strategy will guide the Bank’s operations in Bangladesh during the period 2006-2009. It is strongly focused on governance and is aligned with Bangladesh’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). The strategies’ two pillars, improving the investment climate and empowering the poor, reflect the focus of the World Bank’s programs across sectors. These programs will address sector governance issues in both pillars, as well as ‘core’ governance, such as public procurement, public financial management, and judiciary reform. This mainstreaming of governance implies that all Bank Group interventions will be as much about improving governance as they will be about improving sector performance. Download the entire CAS | Summary in English | Summary in Bangla
====================================================================== 6. World Bank supported Projects and Programs in Bangladesh
The World Bank supports 27 ongoing government projects in Bangladesh and is active in a wide range of sectors including health, education, transport, water and sanitation, agriculture, local government and financial sector reform, as well as public procurement and financial management reform. Detailed description of active projects | Brief description of active projects
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7. Reports and Analyses from the World Bank
The aim of the Bangladesh Development Series (BDS) is to distribute the World Bank's country analytical work on Bangladesh. BDS is a valuable source of information for strengthening policy dialogue and developing and implementing country strategies.
Please click on the following titles to download these Bangladesh Development Series reports: Economics and Governance of NGOs in Bangladesh ; Summary: English | Bangla Bangladesh Country Assistance Strategy 2006-2009 ; Summary:English | Bangla Social Safety Nets in Bangladesh: An Assessment Bangladesh Integrated Nutrition Project, Effectiveness and Lessons Learned Revitalizing the Agricultural Technology System in Bangladesh ; Summary: English | Bangla Targeting Resources for the Poor in Bangladesh ; Summary: English | Bangla Comparative Advantages of Health Care Provision ; Summary: English | Bangla Bangladesh Water Country Assistance Strategy ; Summary: English | Bangla End of MFA Quotas: Key Issues and Strategic Options for Bangladesh Ready Made Garment Industry ; Summary: English Bangladesh PRSP Forum Economic Update - Recent Developments and Future Perspectives Forthcoming Publications Bangladesh Country Environmental Analysis
Strengthening Management and Governance in the Health, Nutrition and Population Sector of Bangladesh
An Evaluation of Recent Health Decentralization Initiatives
Dhaka Urban Poverty Study
Bangladesh: Strategy for Growth and Employment ==============================================================================
8. Global reading from the World Bank The World Bank is also a "Knowledge Bank", each year producing a steady flow of publications and research. Over 15,000 documents and publications are available free of cost on our website. To search and download global World Bank publications, please click here. Recent highlights Doing Business 2007: How to Reform (summary) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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