Message from the Country Director Dear Friends, In the 21st century, agriculture continues to be a fundamental instrument for sustainable development and poverty reduction. Promoting agriculture is imperative for meeting the Millennium Development Goal of halving poverty and hunger by 2015 and continuing to reduce poverty and hunger for several decades thereafter. In this issue, you will read why agriculture is placed afresh at the center of the development agenda, taking into account the vastly different context of opportunities and challenges that have emerged. The challenges of speeding up the pace of regulatory reform for improving the overall business climate in Bangladesh as well as in South Asia are also featured in this issue. You will also read about dramatic gender inequities that persist in South Asia, despite the recent economic growth and changing social norms over the past year. As always, you can mail us with your views and feedback at wbdhakanews@worldbank.org. We look forward to hearing from you.  Best wishes, Xian Zhu Country Director Highlights: 1. Revival of agriculture for development in South Asia 2. Doing Business 2008: identifying good practice reforms 3. Promoting gender issues in South Asia 1. Revival of agriculture for development in South Asia Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka are getting an unprecedented opportunity to reduce massive poverty and narrow widening rural-urban income disparities, according to World Development Report 2008, entitled "Agriculture for Development", which calls for a revival of agriculture in the region. These three countries are labeled as transforming countries, because agriculture is no longer a major source of economic growth, contributing on average only 7 percent to GDP growth, but poverty remains overwhelmingly rural. To read recommendations of the World Development Report for these three South Asian transforming countries, please visit: To read the full report and accompanying media package, please visit:  2. Doing Business 2008: identifying good practice reforms The recently published Doing Business 2008 by the World Bank is a guide for evaluating regulations that directly impact economic growth. It also serves as a reminder as to why this sort of data, which may be expensive, is yet an invaluable public good. To read press release of this report, please visit: To download Bangladesh-specific data, please visit  3. Promoting gender issues in South Asia Gender issues in South Asia represent a complex challenge. There has been a greater recognition of the problem across the region. In most countries, women have experienced improved access to services and credit markets. However, dramatic gender inequities persist in South Asia. Addressing the inequities will require greater voice of women in the political decision-making of communities and states. To access summary of gender profile in Bangladesh, please visit: More from the World Bank: 4. World Bank Country Assistance Strategy 5. World Bank Supported Projects 6. Reports and Analyses from the World Bank 7. Global World Bank Reading More from the World Bank 4. 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 ================================================================ 5. 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 ================================================================ 6. 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: Bangladesh: Strategy for Sustained Growth Dhaka: Improving Living Conditions for the Urban Poor Strengthening Management and Governance in the Health, Nutrition and Population Sector of Bangladesh Bangladesh Country Environmental Analysis 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 The Bangladesh Vocational Education and Training System: An Assessment ================================================================ 7. 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 Report 2008 World Development Indicator 2007 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To suggest further names to receive this newsletter, please send an e-mail to: World Bank Dhaka News with the subject line: New subscribe To unsubscribe, please send an e-mail to: World Bank Dhaka News with the subject line: Unsubscribe. This and previous issues along with information on the World Bank in Bangladesh are available on our website  |
RSS