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Bangladesh
Website of the SDC in Bangladesh: www.sdc.org.bd
 Bangladesh, which extends
over the broad Ganges delta on the Indian sub-continent, is still one of the world's most densely populated countries. Half of its population lives in poverty. The entire country suffers from
underdevelopment, mismanagement, natural disasters and poor governance.
The gap between rich and poor is widening, and those hardest hit are usually women, children, slum dwellers and ethnic minorities whose civil rights and freedoms are not guaranteed. However, in recent decades, considerable progress has been made. Positive developments in the areas of population control, child mortality, malnutrition and gender-neutral access to education have made the international community take notice of the positive changes taking place in Bangladesh. Swiss development cooperation has been active in Bangladesh since the country gained independence in 1971. Since then, the aim of the development cooperation has been to contribute to sustainable development and poverty reduction. Besides SDC, numerous non-governmental organisations (NGOs) – some of them supported by SDC – are working in Bangladesh. |
| The Swiss Government's bilateral commitment | 2009 |
2010 |
2011* |
|---|---|---|---|
| SDC | |||
| Bilateral development cooperation | 21.48 | 18.18 | 22.50 |
| Humanitarian aid | 1.23 | 1.61 | 1.80 |
| State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) | |||
| Economic Cooperation and Development | – | – | – |
| Total SDC/SECO commitment | 22.71 | 19.79 | 24.30 |
| Other Federal Offices | |||
| Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA (Political Affairs Division IV and other) | 0.12 | 0.01 | – |
| State Secretariat for Education and Research (SER) | – | 0.01 | 0.01 |
| Total other Federal Offices | 0.12 | 0.02 | 0.01 |
| Total | 22.83 | 19.81 | 24.31 |
Bilateral development cooperation excluding program contributions to NGOs
– = nil or amount < 5'000 CHF
Development Cooperation: Priorities
SDC's complex yet coherent development cooperation programme in Bangladesh aims to promote a sustainable reduction in poverty. Concentrating mainly on the poorest social classes, SDC follows its guiding principles: gender equality, human rights, social justice, and building on existing potential. As a small donor country, Switzerland has the advantage of being able to provide direct, flexible support for innovative ideas.
The SDC's programmes in Bangladesh, as set out in the Bangladesh Strategy 2008-2012, emphasize two main themes, namely:
- Jobs and income: ensuring better living conditions for the very poor by improving employment opportunities, in particular by providing training of a good standard and facilitating access to markets. This theme's specific objectives are: 1) to promote job opportunities for the poor and boost their income, 2) to open up job markets to the poor, and 3) to improve local economic conditions so as to benefit the most disadvantaged
- Local governance: contributing to the development at local level of good governance policies and practices that take account of poor people's needs. The specific objectives pursued are: 1) to enhance the ability of the poor to negotiate in their best interests and access public services, 2) to improve the capability of local government authorities to provide services on transparent, participative and inclusive lines, and 3) to encourage political reforms which are aimed at the poor and support their participation.
Furthermore, the two following cross-cutting themes are being continued in Bangladesh and built into all cooperation projects:
- Gender: analysis of the inequalities that exist between women and men. The specific roles of both sexes in society are analysed, as are the differences as regards access to and control of resources
- HIV/Aids: the threat of contracting HIV/Aids is very high for the population of Bangladesh. The various aspects of the disease are incorporated into each and every SDC project, and awareness-raising campaigns are conducted.
SDC mainly promotes development efforts by civil society in Bangladesh and therefore works with:
- the government of Bangladesh, for instance the ministries responsible for rural development or the provision of basic education;
- local non-governmental organisations;
- Swiss and international non-governmental organisations;
- other bilateral donor countries (such as Britain and Sweden);
- Multilateral organisations (World Bank, Asian Development Bank).
Regarding aid modalities, SDC actively contributes to the International Community ‘s efforts to promote aid harmonisation. SDC’s programmes are in line with the Bangladesh Poverty Reduction Strategy and government policies. The agency is pursuing government-aligned and harmonised projects mainly in the areas of micro and small enterprises promotion and non formal education.
In accordance with their remit, the SDC's Humanitarian Aid and the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit (HA and SHA) operate in Bangladesh mainly when natural disasters necessitate fast, effective assistance and, in the case of calamities on a larger scale, during the rehabilitation and reconstruction phases. Its geography means that Bangladesh is at risk from annual flooding because the delta of its three major rivers lies just a few metres above sea level. The impact of floods is further aggravated by poverty, overpopulation and lack of infrastructure.
As in previous years (2002 and 2004), serious flooding once again caused considerable damage to the country and its infrastructure, and the SDC continues to support local NGOs and the appropriate United Nations organizations.
On 15 November 2007, Sidr, one of the most violent cyclones to hit Bangladesh in recent years, devastated the south of the country, claiming the lives of some 4,000 people and making 360,000 families homeless. 350,000 animals were lost, and most of the rice harvest was destroyed. In the immediate aftermath, the SDC – through its local partners – supported the needy by distributing emergency goods and blankets. In a second phase, a further 500,000 Swiss francs were earmarked for direct action on regenerating people's means of subsistence, and a contribution of two million CHF was allocated to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
For the period 2008-2009, a reconstruction programme with an annual budget of 1.5 to 2 million Swiss francs is to be rolled out in Bagerhat District, which was hit particularly hard by Sidr. The two following activities are planned:
- support for regenerating means of subsistence,
- "community-based disaster risk reduction" (buildings that provide protection, schools, community centres), preparedness etc.).
During this period, the Dhaka CoOf will be strengthened by the arrival of a Humanitarian Assistant Coordinator/ and other humanitarian aid experts.
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| Source: World Bank's World Development Indicators 2011 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Background information provided by the BBC
Local SDC contact address:
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Bangladesh (Dhaka) |
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Swiss Cooperation Office Bangladesh |
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| Phone | +8802 88 12392 +8802 88 13067 |
| Fax | +8802 88 23497 |
| dhaka@sdc.net | |
| Website | www.sdc.org.bd |
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Additional Information and Documents Here, you will find more publications, links, documents and articles about Swiss development cooperation and humanitarian aid in this country. |