Message from the Country Director:
Dear Friends, I am delighted to have the opportunity to introduce this month's newsletter on the World Bank's activities in Bangladesh. Although I have only been Country Director for a few weeks, I have been deeply impressed by the energy and commitment of the people of Bangladesh to the further development of this country. This commitment has been rewarded by Bangladesh's sustained economic growth during the past decade and by the remarkable strides the country has made in many areas such as health, education and poverty reduction. A measure of this progress is the way in which the country seems to be on track to meet several of the Millennium Development Goals, as you can read in the article below about the publication of the World Bank's report on the MDGs in Bangladesh. The report outlines the country's successes but also points to ways in which the more difficult MDGs, in areas such as maternal health and child nutrition, can be advanced. It is not just a question of resources, but of increasing the accountability and transparency of public service provision so ordinary people receive the services they need and are entitled to. The report also highlights the need to provide better quality services to the rapidly growing urban population, who often find themselves without healthcare, education and sanitation. The World Bank's support of water and sanitation projects in Dhaka and Chittagong, that you can read about below, are one way in which this can be achieved. I firmly believe that this country has the capacity to find its own path to more rapid and inclusive development. The World Bank stands ready to support reforms in Bangladesh that speed this goal, not just with financing, but by offering expertise and analysis. Please email me at the usual address, World Bank Dhaka News with your views on the World Bank in Bangladesh or any other feedback you may have.
Best wishes,
Zhu Xian
Country Director
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Highlights 1. Bangladesh and the MDGs
2. Providing Water and Sanitation in Dhaka's Slums
3. Dhaka Most Business Friendly City in Bangladesh
4. World Bank and ADB Support Railway Reform
5. New World Bank Country Director More from the World Bank 6. World Bank Bangladesh Country Assistance Strategy
7. World Bank Supported Projects in Bangladesh
8. Reports and Analysis on Bangladesh from the World Bank
9. 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. Bangladesh and the MDGs
Increased transparency and accountability of public services will enable Bangladesh to reach most of its Millennium Development Goals, according to a report presented earlier this month by the World Bank titled, “To the MDGS and Beyond: Accountability and Institutional Innovation in Bangladesh”.
Bangladesh has already made significant progress in attaining the MDGs; a set of UN devised targets to cut world poverty in half by 2015, most notably by increasing gender parity in education and cutting infant mortality rates. However to make further strides an effective partnership is needed between central government, service providers, local government and communities in order to increase the accountability and transparency of public services, the report says.
If these kind of reforms are implemented, even the more difficult targets such as those related to maternal mortality and child malnutrition can be attained. Greater accountability and transparency means citizens are aware of the level of services they are entitled to and are able to give regular feedback to service providers. By involving local communities and local government institutions in the process, a system of checks and balances can be established to ensure that the quality of services in areas such as health and education are up to standard.
In addition to increasing accountability and transparency the report also stresses the need to come to terms with the problem of providing services to the country’s rapidly growing urban population.
Report presentation | Launch Press Release English | Bangla
==================================================================== 2. Providing Water and Sanitation in Dhaka’s Slums Around 3.5 million people live in slums in Dhaka and few have regular legal access to water and sanitation services provided by the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (DWASA). Instead, most rely on water bought from private water sellers or illegal and insecure water connections. In nearly all cases the water itself comes originally from DWASA supplies. In a move to provide slum dwellers with reliable and accessible water and sanitation services, DWASA, with the support of the World Bank, has been engaged in a large scale mapping project to find out where slum dwellers live in relation to its existing infrastructure. By carefully combining information on DWASA’s own network and the 2005 Slum Census conducted by the Center for Urban Studies (CUS) and the University of North Carolina, the public water utility can begin to work out the most effective way to provide services to residents of Dhaka's 4,900 slum areas. DWASA is also analyzing the differences that exist among the city’s slums that often do not conform to the stereotype image. For example, over 80 per cent of slums are on private lands and more than 60 per cent consist of relatively small pockets of less than 50 households (2005 Slum Census). Establishing a firm knowledge of the differing needs of slum dwellers will place DWASA in a strong position to extend services to the millions in the city presently outside their network. Slum census | World Bank Project ==================================================================== 3. Dhaka most business friendly city in Bangladesh Dhaka has the most business friendly regulations in Bangladesh, according to a survey conducted by the World Bank and its private sector arm, the International Finance Corporation.
The report, titled 'Doing Business in South Asia' finds that out of the four major Bangladeshi cities covered in the study, Dhaka has the most business-friendly regulations, while Bogra imposes the most complex and costly administrative barriers. Chittagong and Khulna rank in the middle.
The report compares business regulations in South Asia with 175 economies around the world. The top ranked countries in the region are the Maldives (ranking 53) and Pakistan (74), followed by Bangladesh (88), Sri Lanka (89), Nepal (100), India (134), Bhutan (138) and Afghanistan (162). This year, Bangladesh implemented reforms to simplify property registration.
“Bangladesh could jump in the international rankings if it simply adopted the best practices in business regulation that already exist within the country—from 88th to 62nd on the global Doing Business rankings. This would leave all other South Asian countries, except for the Maldives behind,” said Caralee McLiesh, an author of the Doing Business in South Asia report.
More in English |Bangla ===================================================================== 4. World Bank and ADB Support Railway Reform The Government of Bangladesh signed credit agreements totaling US$170 million with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank on February 15, to support the Government’s plans to transform Bangladesh Railway into a well-managed, customer-focused organization. Of the total US$170 million, ADB is providing US$130 million, and the World Bank US$ 40 million.
The Railway Sector Investment Program (RSIP) is the first joint initiative of ADB, Japan Bank for International Cooperation and the World Bank, which, together with the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), have developed joint strategies to assist Bangladesh in a more coordinated manner.
The World Bank’s US$40 million will be used to support Government efforts to make institutional and governance improvements in Bangladesh Railways, as well as to improve financial management and human resource management, and to increase operational efficiency. The World Bank support will be followed by another proposed development policy credit of US$60 million for the Railway Reform Program in 2009. An additional US$200 million credit is also envisaged in 2009 to support another Government initiative to improve infrastructure and network expansion of railways.
Press Release | More on Railway Reform ====================================================================
5. New World Bank Country Director
Zhu Xian took up his position as World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh on February 5 praising Bangladesh for the economic and social progress it has taken in the past decades and urging the country to maintain the momentum for reform.
Mr. Zhu, 52, a Chinese national, joined the World Bank in 2002. Before this, he worked for 15 years as a civil servant with the Ministry of Finance in China, holding several senior posts and being actively involved in China's market driven economic reforms and poverty reduction efforts. He also led the effort to achieve US$3bn in annual leading by the World Bank to China.
In 1999 Mr. Zhu was appointed as Executive Director for China at the World Bank and a member of the World Bank Board until 2001 when he left to join the Asian Development Bank (ADB) where he served as Principal Director for Co-financing. Most recently, Mr. Zhu served as World Bank Country Director for Papua New Guinea and Pacific Islands in the East Asia and Pacific region.
Mr. Zhu was educated in China and in the USA in social sciences, including economics.
Press Release in English |Bangla ==================================================================== More from the World Bank
6. World Bank Bangladesh Country Assistance Strategy
The World Bank’s Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) will guide our operations in Bangladesh during the period 2006-2009. It is strongly focused on governance and is aligned with Bangladesh’s Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS). The CAS has 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.
Summary of the CAS English | Bangla
Download the full CAS
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7. 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.
Brief description of active projects | Detailed descriptions of active projects
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8. Reports and Analyses from the World Bank The aim of the Bangladesh Development Series (BDS) is to share 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:
To the MDGs and Beyond: Accountability and Institutional Innovation in Bangladesh;
Summary -English | Bangla India-Bangladesh Bilateral Trade and Potential Free Trade Agreement; Summary -English | Bangla 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
The Bangladesh Vocational Education and Training System: An Assessment
Strengthening Management and Governance in the HNP Sector of Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Strategy for Growth and Employment
Bangladesh: Piloting Reform through the Development and Management of Economic Zones
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9. 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. Search and download global World Bank publications Recent highlights World Development Indicators (WDI) 2006 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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