 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Lecture, Oslo, December 10, 2006 (http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2006/yunus-lecture-en.html) . |
| “Poverty is a Threat to Peace” |
| © 2017 Bangladesh Development Research Center Inc. (BDRC) Text and graphics may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educational or non-profit purposes, provided that credit is given to the source. High definition pixel copies of any photo displayed on the BDRC website are available upon request. |
| Quotes on the BDRC's websites are provided as "food for thought". They should not be considered to be policy statements, especially as they may have been taken out of context. |
| | | | | | | | | | |
| The BDRC's purposes are to undertake and disseminate research on development issues relevant for Bangladesh in order to foster the peaceful development of nations. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
You will need Acrobat Reader to view pdf files - available as a free download. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| The BDRC is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit research organization, run by volunteers. |
| Current Hot Topics / Features |
| Bangladesh Awakening IFPRI film produced for the Bangladesh Food Security Investment Forum 2010. |
| Southern Promise IFPRI video produced for the Bangladesh Food Security Policy Workshop (Oct. 4-5, 2011). |
| Bangladesh Development Research Center (BDRC) |
| Welcome to Bangladesh Movie documentary provided by & copyright of: 1We - One World Experience |
| Easy Like Water A visionary architect is building floating schools to turn the front lines of climate change into a community of learning. |
August 2, 2017: Metro rail construction work begins
As reported by the Daily Star, the construction work of the 20 kilometer (12.4 miles) long metro
rail began today. The project aims to ease the perennial traffic congestion in Dhaka and
provide an improved, faster, comfortable and environmentally-friendly means of public
transportation. The estimated time to travel the 20km distance, from north end of Uttara to
Motijheel, is 35 minutes.
LEARN MORE --->
______________________________________________________________________
July 12, 2017: How poverty affects the brain
As reported by Carina Storrs in nature (the international weekly journal of science), an
unprecedented study in Bangladesh could reveal how malnutrition, poor sanitation and other
challenges make their mark on child development. Researchers are trying to untangle the links
between growth and neurological development. Is bad nutrition alone the culprit? What about
emotional neglect, infectious disease or other challenges? Shahria Hafiz Kakon is at the front
line trying to answer these questions in the slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh, where about 40
percent of children have stunted growth by the age of two. As a medical officer at the
International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) in Dhaka, she is
leading the first-ever brain-imaging study of children with stunted growth.
LEARN MORE --->
______________________________________________________________________
July 7, 2017: Bangladesh has lower SDG Index than India, Nepal and Sri Lanka
With Rank 120, Bangladesh ranked lower than most other South Asian countries in the 2017
edition of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Index, in which India ranked 116, Nepal
ranked 105, and Sri Lanka ranked 81. The annual report shows how leaders can deliver on
their promise and it urges countries not to lose the momentum for important reforms. It is
produced by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Bertelsmann
Stiftung.
LEARN MORE --->
______________________________________________________________________
June 21, 2017: ADB) signs $300 million in loans for Bangladesh rail project
As reported by bdnews24.com, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed $300 million in
loans for Bangladesh to build a dual-gauge railway connecting Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar.
The new rail link, which opens in 2022, aims to transport 2.9 million passengers annually
between Chittagong and Cox's Bazar by 2025. The fund is the first part of $1.5 billion ADB
loans for the SASEC Chittagong-Cox’s Bazar Railway Project.
Chittagong-Cox’s Bazar Railway forms part of the Trans-Asia Railway network, an initiative led
by the United Nations, aiming to provide seamless rail links between Asia and Europe to better
connect people and markets.
LEARN MORE --->
______________________________________________________________________
June 11, 2017: Bangladesh Leads in Solar Home System Installations Worldwide
As reported by Mohammad Al-Masum Molla in the Daily Star, Bangladesh has topped a global
list of countries that have installed the highest number of Solar Home Systems (SHS). Based on
the “Renewables 2017 Global Status Report” of the more than 6 million SHS and kits in
operation worldwide as of 2016, Bangladesh has, with more than 4 million units installed, the
largest SHS market worldwide.
LEARN MORE (Daily Star News Report) --->
LEARN MORE (Renewables 2017 Global Status Report) --->
______________________________________________________________________
May 25, 2017: FDI Flow Still Slow Despite Policy Support
Bangladesh is not getting foreign direct investment (FDI) at an expected level although the
government has taken different initiatives to give easy access to such funds, analysts said
yesterday. Furthermore, private sector investment accounts for only 23 percent of the country’s
GDP, which has also failed to meet the expectations.
LEARN MORE (Daily Star News Report) --->
LEARN MORE (See Chapter 6 of a new book on Bangladesh’s economy) --->
______________________________________________________________________
May 1, 2017: Bangladesh Moves to Burn Grain for Fuel
Reuters reports that Bangladesh plans to begin turning some of the grain it produces into
ethanol to make its fuel greener – but economists and experts warn the move could hurt food
security in a country that is already a grain importer.
LEARN MORE --->
______________________________________________________________________
April 24, 2017: Growth without Good Governance is Hollow
As reported by the Daily Star, economic growth would be meaningless unless there is good
governance, said Akbar Ali Khan, former caretaker government adviser, yesterday at a
discussion, which was part of a two-day annual event of the Bangladesh Institute of
Development Studies (BIDS).
LEARN MORE --->
______________________________________________________________________
April 18, 2017: Bangladesh Bank appoints Dr. Faisal Ahmed as Chief Economist
Dr. Faisal Ahmed, who previously held several positions at the International
Monetary Fund (IMF), including IMF representative to Cambodia from 2011-15,
has been appointed Chief Economist of Bangladesh’s central bank. He has
worked as a Senior Economic Adviser to the Governor of Bangladesh Bank
since August 2015. Dr. Ahmed holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University
of Minnesota and a master’s degree in finance from Princeton University.
LEARN MORE --->
______________________________________________________________________
April 3, 2017: WFP Reaffirms Its Commitment to Zero Hunger in Bangladesh
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is launching a new four-year Country
Strategic Plan (CSP) 2017-2020 designed to strengthen and support the Government of
Bangladesh in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of “Zero Hunger” by 2030.
The CSP Bangladesh is budgeted at USD 201.6 million and reflects an evolution in WFP’s way
of working from being a deliverer of food assistance to an enabler of governments to achieve
national hunger solutions. WFP will work to improve malnutrition, to ensure access to food, to
support sustainable food systems, and to support emergency preparedness activities. WFP will
be capitalizing on decades of operational experience in Bangladesh and around the world to
support the government with technical assistance, operational know-how and evidence to
inform policies.
LEARN MORE --->
______________________________________________________________________
Previous Hot Topics
As reported by the Daily Star, the construction work of the 20 kilometer (12.4 miles) long metro
rail began today. The project aims to ease the perennial traffic congestion in Dhaka and
provide an improved, faster, comfortable and environmentally-friendly means of public
transportation. The estimated time to travel the 20km distance, from north end of Uttara to
Motijheel, is 35 minutes.
LEARN MORE --->
______________________________________________________________________
July 12, 2017: How poverty affects the brain
As reported by Carina Storrs in nature (the international weekly journal of science), an
unprecedented study in Bangladesh could reveal how malnutrition, poor sanitation and other
challenges make their mark on child development. Researchers are trying to untangle the links
between growth and neurological development. Is bad nutrition alone the culprit? What about
emotional neglect, infectious disease or other challenges? Shahria Hafiz Kakon is at the front
line trying to answer these questions in the slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh, where about 40
percent of children have stunted growth by the age of two. As a medical officer at the
International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) in Dhaka, she is
leading the first-ever brain-imaging study of children with stunted growth.
LEARN MORE --->
______________________________________________________________________
July 7, 2017: Bangladesh has lower SDG Index than India, Nepal and Sri Lanka
With Rank 120, Bangladesh ranked lower than most other South Asian countries in the 2017
edition of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Index, in which India ranked 116, Nepal
ranked 105, and Sri Lanka ranked 81. The annual report shows how leaders can deliver on
their promise and it urges countries not to lose the momentum for important reforms. It is
produced by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Bertelsmann
Stiftung.
LEARN MORE --->
______________________________________________________________________
June 21, 2017: ADB) signs $300 million in loans for Bangladesh rail project
As reported by bdnews24.com, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed $300 million in
loans for Bangladesh to build a dual-gauge railway connecting Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar.
The new rail link, which opens in 2022, aims to transport 2.9 million passengers annually
between Chittagong and Cox's Bazar by 2025. The fund is the first part of $1.5 billion ADB
loans for the SASEC Chittagong-Cox’s Bazar Railway Project.
Chittagong-Cox’s Bazar Railway forms part of the Trans-Asia Railway network, an initiative led
by the United Nations, aiming to provide seamless rail links between Asia and Europe to better
connect people and markets.
LEARN MORE --->
______________________________________________________________________
June 11, 2017: Bangladesh Leads in Solar Home System Installations Worldwide
As reported by Mohammad Al-Masum Molla in the Daily Star, Bangladesh has topped a global
list of countries that have installed the highest number of Solar Home Systems (SHS). Based on
the “Renewables 2017 Global Status Report” of the more than 6 million SHS and kits in
operation worldwide as of 2016, Bangladesh has, with more than 4 million units installed, the
largest SHS market worldwide.
LEARN MORE (Daily Star News Report) --->
LEARN MORE (Renewables 2017 Global Status Report) --->
______________________________________________________________________
May 25, 2017: FDI Flow Still Slow Despite Policy Support
Bangladesh is not getting foreign direct investment (FDI) at an expected level although the
government has taken different initiatives to give easy access to such funds, analysts said
yesterday. Furthermore, private sector investment accounts for only 23 percent of the country’s
GDP, which has also failed to meet the expectations.
LEARN MORE (Daily Star News Report) --->
LEARN MORE (See Chapter 6 of a new book on Bangladesh’s economy) --->
______________________________________________________________________
May 1, 2017: Bangladesh Moves to Burn Grain for Fuel
Reuters reports that Bangladesh plans to begin turning some of the grain it produces into
ethanol to make its fuel greener – but economists and experts warn the move could hurt food
security in a country that is already a grain importer.
LEARN MORE --->
______________________________________________________________________
April 24, 2017: Growth without Good Governance is Hollow
As reported by the Daily Star, economic growth would be meaningless unless there is good
governance, said Akbar Ali Khan, former caretaker government adviser, yesterday at a
discussion, which was part of a two-day annual event of the Bangladesh Institute of
Development Studies (BIDS).
LEARN MORE --->
______________________________________________________________________
April 18, 2017: Bangladesh Bank appoints Dr. Faisal Ahmed as Chief Economist
Dr. Faisal Ahmed, who previously held several positions at the International
Monetary Fund (IMF), including IMF representative to Cambodia from 2011-15,
has been appointed Chief Economist of Bangladesh’s central bank. He has
worked as a Senior Economic Adviser to the Governor of Bangladesh Bank
since August 2015. Dr. Ahmed holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University
of Minnesota and a master’s degree in finance from Princeton University.
LEARN MORE --->
______________________________________________________________________
April 3, 2017: WFP Reaffirms Its Commitment to Zero Hunger in Bangladesh
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is launching a new four-year Country
Strategic Plan (CSP) 2017-2020 designed to strengthen and support the Government of
Bangladesh in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of “Zero Hunger” by 2030.
The CSP Bangladesh is budgeted at USD 201.6 million and reflects an evolution in WFP’s way
of working from being a deliverer of food assistance to an enabler of governments to achieve
national hunger solutions. WFP will work to improve malnutrition, to ensure access to food, to
support sustainable food systems, and to support emergency preparedness activities. WFP will
be capitalizing on decades of operational experience in Bangladesh and around the world to
support the government with technical assistance, operational know-how and evidence to
inform policies.
LEARN MORE --->
______________________________________________________________________
Previous Hot Topics
