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| August 21, 2010: Improvements in Bangladesh’s Food Security Risk Index Based on Maplecroft’s latest Food Security Risk Index 2010, Bangladesh is now categorized as a “high risk” country. This constitutes some progress as Bangladesh was previously categorized as a “severe risk” country. The Food Security Risk Index 2010 evaluates the risks to the supply of basic food staples for 163 countries. Developed in collaboration with the World Food Programme, it uses 12 criteria to calculate the ranking including: the nutritional and health status of populations, cereal production and imports, GDP per capita, natural disasters, conflict, and the effectiveness of government. LEARN MORE ---> See also: Bangladesh's Ranking and Relative Progress _________________________________________________________________________________________ August 9, 2010: International Day of the World’s Indigenous People Recognizing August 9, 2010 as International Day of the World’s Indigenous People the BDRC provides a list of recent publications related to indigenous people in Bangladesh and some additional information LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ August 1, 2010: Noman Khan wins Ramon Magsaysay Award 2010 A. H. M. Noman Khan, founder and executive director of the Centre for Disability in Development (CDD), wins the Ramon Magsaysay Award 2010 for his pioneering leadership in mainstreaming persons with disabilities in the development process of Bangladesh, and in working vigorously with all sectors to build a society that is truly inclusive and barrier-free. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ July 20, 2010: Bangladesh exported a record US$1.7 billion in June 2010 Bangladesh’s exports increased by 21.2 percent (from US$1422 million in June 2009 to US$1724 million in June 2010, the highest monthly export figure in the country’s 40-year history). The data also shows that the share of manufactured exports (amounting now to about 95.8 percent of total exports) has increased while the share of exported primary products has decreased from FY2008/09 to FY2009/10. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ July 8, 2010: World Bank proposes to double its aid to Bangladesh The World Bank’s Board of Directors today endorsed a new Country Assistance Strategy for Bangladesh for the period FY2011-14, which proposes a doubling of financial support for Bangladesh relative to the FY06-09 strategy. The BDRC had advocated that Bangladesh deserves more aid over the last two years. LEARN MORE (about the Bank’s decision) ---> LEARN MORE (about the BDRC’s campaign for more aid) ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ New WHO/UNICEF report highlights Bangladesh’s narrowing of gender differentials Historically, Bangladeshi boys have been more likely to receive lifesaving interventions than girls have. But in the past decade Bangladesh has seen gender disparities effectively disappear in the coverage of measles vaccination. LEARN MORE ---> (pdf, then see p. 35) _________________________________________________________________________________________ June 05, 2010: World Environment Day Recognizing June 5, 2010 as World Environment Day, the BDRC provides a list of recent publications related to environmental issues in Bangladesh. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ May 26-27, 2010: Bangladesh Food Security Investment Forum 2010 With the highest population density in the world, little arable land, and extreme weather patterns, Bangladesh has often struggled to feed its population well. However, the country has also achieved some important successes: Within three decades, Bangladesh tripled its annual rice production and became food self-sufficient prior to the 2007-2008 food price crisis. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ May 24, 2010: Hydro-electric project in Tibet could affect water supply in Bangladesh Chinese hydropower lobbyists are calling for construction of the world’s biggest hydro-electric project on the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra as part of a huge expansion of renewable power in the Himalayas. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ May 5, 2010: Bangladesh Development Data Following the World Bank’s recent launch of its Open Data Initiative, the BDRC compiled the Bangladesh-specific data from the World Bank's World Development Indicators (WDI) database and the World Bank's Global Development Finance (GDF) database in one MS Excel® (xls) file (size 8850 kb). LEARN MORE ---> [See also the BDRC’s resource website on: Data Sources] _________________________________________________________________________________________ May 3, 2010: Solar Energy in Bangladesh Dipal C. Barua shines a light on the importance of solar energy in the May 3, 2010 issue of the Forum (a monthly magazine of the Daily Star). He writes that Bangladesh has a world class solar PV technology dissemination model that has effectively demonstrated that solar energy applications can be scaled up massively and rapidly to provide an affordable and climate friendly energy option for the rural people. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ April 25, 2010: World Malaria Day Recognizing World Malaria Day, the BDRC provides some resources and a list of recent developmental publications related to malaria in Bangladesh. LEARN MORE ---> ________________________________________________________________________________________ April 23, 2010: Bangladesh serious about decentralization and corruption Syed Ashraful Islam, Honorable Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, talking at an AEDSB Washington Seminar, said that the Government of Bangladesh is serious about decentralization and its zero tolerance policy for corruption. Four major laws have been passed recently to move Bangladesh’s decentralization process forward: the Local Government (Union Parishad) Act, the Upazila Parishad Act, the Local Government (Paurashava) Act, and the Local Government (City Corporation) Act. LEARN MORE ---> See also: News report by The New Nation _________________________________________________________________________________________ April 13, 2010: IMF mission projects real GDP to grow at 6 percent in FY2011 Based on the latest IMF assessment, Bangladesh has weathered the global crisis relatively well and its real GDP for July 2009 to June 2010 (FY2010) is projected to grow at 5 percent. With more supportive external conditions anticipated in FY2011, growth should rise to around 6 percent. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ April 7, 2010: World Health Day Recognizing World Health Day 2010, the BDRC provides a list of recent publications related to health issues in Bangladesh. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ April 5, 2010: Millions of Bangladeshi farmers gain access to bank accounts More than 6.4 million Bangladeshi farmers have opened bank accounts as of April 1, 2010 after the central bank moved to relax rules to help them own such accounts. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ March 22, 2010: World Water Day Recognizing World Water Day 2010, the BDRC provides a list of recent publications related to water in Bangladesh. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ Regional conference on the role of religious leaders in advancing development The Asia Foundation and USAID will jointly convene a regional conference in Bangladesh on the role of religious leaders in advancing development in Asia from March 21 to 24, 2010. The conference will involve the participation of at least 70 religious leaders, elected officials, and other delegates from 14 Asian countries, together with visiting USAID and U.S. embassy officials. The conference will serve as a framework for broader regional dialogue, experience-sharing, and future cooperation, and generate country-specific strategies for follow-up activities that promote the role of religious and traditional leaders in development. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ March 8, 2010: International Women’s Day Recognizing International Women’s Day 2010, the BDRC provides a list of recent publications related to women in Bangladesh. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ The Threat from Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh The International Crisis Group released today (March 1, 2010) a new report, stating that the Bangladesh government has taken steps to dismantle the terrorist group Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), but it should not take its demise for granted: the organization is regrouping and the possibility of another attack is increasing. Despite two government crackdowns since 2005, the organization continues to recruit, train and raise funds. Although JMB is a much weaker force due to the arrest of hundreds of its members and the execution of its original leadership council, it remains a potent threat with a proven capacity to regenerate. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ Ensuring Debt Sustainability in Low Income Countries (LICs) On February 22, 2010, Dr. Bernhard Gunter, President of the BDRC, made a presentation (see PDF) at the UNCTAD Expert Group Meeting in Geneva. The presentation focused on a review of the projections for LICs based on the IMF’s WEO of October 2009, a mini-review of the current debt sustainability framework for LICs, and some recent suggestions. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ February 21, 2010: Bangladeshi Language Martyrs’ Day Recognizing Bangladeshi Language Martyrs’ Day and International Mother Language Day (February 21, 2010) the BDRC provides recent developmental publications related to Bangladesh’s Mother Language. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ Is there an emerging East-West economic divide within Bangladesh? A new World Bank research paper by Aphichoke Kotikula, Ambar Narayan and Hassan Zaman finds that while most regions in the east have reduced their economic gaps with the Dhaka region since 2000, much of the west and southwest have stagnated or fallen behind. The paper, which analyzes the latest poverty profile of Bangladesh, shows that the spatial distribution of poverty seen in earlier decades has changed and that the drivers of poverty reduction are different in several respects. LEARN MORE ---> (pdf) _________________________________________________________________________________________ February 16, 2010: Donors Endorsed US$9.5 Billion Energy Investment Plan International donors endorsed Bangladesh's US$9.5 billion investment plan to generate 7,000 megawatts of electricity by 2013. The Bangladesh Development Forum unanimously endorsed Bangladesh’s plan to double the present power generation capacity within the next four years. The increase in electricity supply is considered a necessary condition to achieve at least 8 percent economic growth and thus alleviate massive poverty. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ February 15, 2010: Campaign to Vaccinate Children Against Measles More than 20 million Bangladeshi children will be vaccinated against measles over the next two weeks as part of a campaign backed by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to try to eradicate the deadly disease in the South Asian nation. An estimated 50,000 health-care workers and 600,000 volunteers and NGO staff have been recruited for the immunization project. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ Dr. Mizanur Rahman won GDN Medal for Research on Development 2009 Dr. Mizanur Rahman, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Accounting & Information Systems (AIS) of Dhaka University, won the First Prize sponsored by the Luxembourg Ministry of Finance for his outstanding research on "Regional Integration—Convergence Big Time, or, an Opportunity Wasted." As a part of the Global Development Network (GDN) 11th Annual Conference, the prize distribution ceremony was held on January 17, 2010, in Prague, Czech Republic. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ Protecting Bangladesh from Natural Disasters Academic Press and Publishers Library (APPL) in Dhaka published an important new book entitled “Protecting Bangladesh from Natural Disasters” by A. M. Choudhury (the former Chairman, Bangladesh Space Research and Remote Sensing Organisation (SPARRSO), who has spent his whole life on research in this subject). The book contains material on major natural disasters like tropical cyclones, floods, droughts, earthquakes, tsunamis and climate change. Each chapter of the book contains also a description of the protective measures needed for each disaster. LEARN MORE ---> (see pp. 76-77 of the Annotated CC Bibliography) (pdf) _________________________________________________________________________________________ January 05, 2010: BDRC publishes its 2009 Research Report The 2009 Research Report summarizes the BDRC's main research undertaken in 2009. LEARN MORE ---> (pdf) _________________________________________________________________________________________ An Analytical Approach to Bangladesh’s Growth Agenda Prof. Wahiduddin Mahmud recently suggested that economic management in Bangladesh needs to be based on more serious and in-depth policy analysis, particularly at a time when the country is aspiring to modernize and globally integrate its economy with the aim of attaining the middle-income status. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ December 29, 2009 and December 13, 2009: Moderate Earthquakes Hit Bangladesh
moderate earthquakes in recent years, fueling fears of a forthcoming major earthquake. See also: Concerns over earthquake preparedness _________________________________________________________________________________________ Bangladesh Tops Global Climate Risk Index Based on the latest Germanwatch report just released in mid-December 2009, Bangladesh was the country most affected by extreme weather events from 1990 to 2008. Climate change is an increasingly important factor for the occurrence and intensity of these extreme weather events. Through an ambitious adaptation action framework, the Copenhagen climate summit can result in a real difference for particularly vulnerable developing countries. LEARN MORE ---> (pdf) _________________________________________________________________________________________ December 11, 2009: Getting Police Reform on Track The International Crisis Group released today a new report that states that after decades of misuse and neglect, Bangladesh’s police are a source of instability and fear rather than a key component of a democratic society. Human rights abuses are endemic and almost all Bangladeshis who interact with the police complain of corruption. With an elected government in place again, there are now opportunities to reform this dysfunctional force. But there are also significant obstacles. LEARN MORE ---> (pdf) _________________________________________________________________________________________ Human Rights Day: December 10, 2009 Recognizing December 10, 2009 as Human Rights Day, the BDRC provides a list of recent publications specifically on human rights in Bangladesh. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ December 01, 2009: World AIDS Day Recognizing December 01, 2009 as World AIDS Day, the BDRC provides a list of recent publications specifically on AIDS/HIV in Bangladesh. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ November 25, 2009: International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women Recognizing November 25, 2009 as International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the BDRC provides a list of recent publications specifically relevant for developmental issues on women in Bangladesh. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ November 23, 2009: Critical Voices before Run-up to Copenhagen Shortly before the crucial climate talks in Copenhagen in December, the Bretton Woods Project has provided two critical voices related to (1) the World Bank’s domination and (2) destructive development.
November 20, 2009: Universal Children’s Day Recognizing November 20, 2009 as Universal Children’s Day, the BDRC provides a list of recent publications specifically relevant for development issues on children in Bangladesh. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ November 16, 2009: ADB Supports Tourism in Bangladesh, India and Nepal The Asian Development Bank’s Board of Directors today approved a total of $57.5 million in grants and loans for the South Asia Tourism Infrastructure Development Project, which will develop and improve infrastructure and services for key tourism sites in the three countries. It will also help increase the capacity of sector agencies to sustainably manage and protect sites, and will target increased involvement by local communities in tourism. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ Recognizing November 14, 2009 as World Diabetes Day, the BDRC provides a list of recent publications specifically relevant for diabetes in Bangladesh. Based on a small survey undertaken by the Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation in Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders (BIRDEM) the prevalence of diabetes in Bangladesh’s population (of 15+ years) is between 2- 5 percent (which is similar to many other least-developed countries’ prevalence). LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ October 26, 2009: Bangladesh and the Global Economic Crisis Bangladesh has weathered the negative effects of the global economic crisis so far but lower exports and remittances growth, and sluggish investment rates could stifle growth, says the World Bank’s latest Bangladesh Economic Update. "The crisis, however, has affected the pace of poverty reduction, and we expect that about 2.4 million fewer people will be able to climb out of poverty over 2005-10", says Sanjay Kathuria, Lead Economist for Bangladesh. The 2009 Bangladesh Economic Update, discusses the state of economy, provides insight into the changing economic environment and examines the impact of the global financial crisis on the state of poverty in Bangladesh. The report also calls for rebalancing of the policy focus towards structural areas such as economic governance, market oriented vocational skills and quality secondary and tertiary education. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ October 17, 2009: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty Recognizing October 17, 2009 as International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, the BDRC provides a list of recent publications specifically relevant for poverty eradication in Bangladesh. LEARN MORE ---> ________________________________________________________________________________________ October 16, 2009: World Food Day Recognizing October 16, 2009 as World Food Day, the BDRC provides a list of recent publications specifically relevant for food security in Bangladesh. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ October 9-10, 2009: Ideas and Innovations for the Development of Bangladesh The conference on “Ideas and Innovations for the Development of Bangladesh: The Next Decade” has been launched at Harvard University on Friday morning. The conference was organized by Bangladesh Development Initiative (BDI), Democracy and Development in Bangladesh Forum (DDBF), and The Ash Institute for Democratic Governance & Innovation, John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. The BDRC’s President, Dr. Bernhard Gunter, presented a paper showing how papermaking from jute constitutes a win-win solution for Bangladesh. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ October 4, 2009: Introducing Genetically Modified Brinjal in Bangladesh In this new Working Paper (No. 9 of the Bangladesh Development Research Working Paper Series), Mst. Meherunnahar and D. N. R. Paul show that genetically modified brinjal (Bt brinjal, also known as Bt eggplant and Bt aubergine) has the potential to bump up agricultural productivity in Bangladesh and other countries. They provide a brief overview of Bangladesh’s vegetable sector and review the key issues of introducing Bt brinjal in Bangladesh. They summarize the results of recent research undertaken in Bangladesh on the environmental safety of Bt brinjal and conclude that Bt brinjal could make a significant contribution to Bangladesh’s agricultural sector and more broadly, Bangladesh’s economy and living standards. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ Bangladesh to host a center for climate change adaptation knowhow Bangladesh is set to host a new “International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCD)” which will focus on research and training in climate change adaptation activities. The center’s official launch is planned for late November. Following various short training courses, the center is planning to offer a Master's degree in climate change and development in September 2010. The UK Department for International Development (DFID) has contributed British Pound 500,000 to the center. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ September 8, 2009: International Literacy Day Recognizing September 8, 2009 as International Literacy Day, the BDRC provides a list of recent publications related to literacy in Bangladesh. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ Eldis launches Bangladesh Group Eldis, a website that aims to share the best in development policy, practice and research, has launched this Bangladesh group as a space for all those with an interest in Bangladesh to share news, discuss ideas, compare our experiences and learn from each other. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ August 9, 2009: International Day of the World’s Indigenous People Recognizing August 9, 2009 as International Day of the World’s Indigenous People the BDRC provides a list of recent publications related to indigenous people in Bangladesh and some additional information. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ USAID Seeks Application for an Education Project The United Sates Agency for International Development (USAID) in Dhaka, Bangladesh seeks applications for a Cooperative Agreement from qualified organizations to implement a project entitled “Promoting Talent Through Early Education (PROTEEVA) in Bangladesh“. Through this award, USAID/Bangladesh seeks to prepare children for school, as well as prepare the schools for the children. This school readiness program will provide opportunities for five year olds by providing one year of pre-primary school education and after school educational activities for pre-school and primary school students. The project will also work with the teachers and stakeholders of primary education at the community and national levels to ensure greater accountability and adaptation of best Early Childhood and Development (ECD) practices at the policy planning level. This program is a follow-on activity to USAID’s current Early Learning for School Success (SUCCEED) program. The expected duration of the project is five years¸ depending on performance and availability of funding. The total two year cost of the project is estimated to be approximately $12,000,000 to $14,200,000. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ July 13, 2009: Towards an MDG-consistent Debt Sustainability Framework At a joint UN/UNDP seminar in New York, Bernhard Gunter, President of the BDRC, presented empirical evidence showing a robust relationship between achieving the MDGs and having a higher capacity to carry debt. The study used the same probit regressions that have been used to justify the debt sustainability framework introduced by the Bretton Woods institutions in spring 2005. Even after controlling for good policies and institutions, the capacity to carry debt shows a statistically significant positive relationship with social development. LEARN MORE ---> (pdf) [Click for Mediaglobal news report] __________________________________________________________________________________________ Questioning the Impact of Microcredit or Questioning the Art of Econometrics? Despite the overwhelming evidence that microcredit has reduced poverty in Bangladesh, from time to time, some economists try to grab the development community’s attention by questioning the impact of microcredit in Bangladesh. This was the case in the July 7, 2009 Development Update of the Center for Global Development (CGD) in Washington, DC, which stated in the headline “Microcredit Impacts Questioned”. The CGD’s update then refers to a new study by CGD research fellow David Roodman and Jonathan Morduch and states: “Bottom line: evidence that microcredit reduces poverty is even scarcer than previously understood.” However, what the authors of this new study confuse is “questioning the impact of microcredit” with “questioning the art of their fancy econometrics”. The evidence for this confusion is provided in Roodman’s blog of June 18, 2009, where Roodman reports on the study’s finding that “lending to women makes families poorer” and he then continues “but I just told you how much credence we put on such claims about cause and effect.” In other words, the bottom line of this new study seems to be that it is not worth the paper it is printed on. LEARN MORE ---> __________________________________________________________________________________________ How do you see development? How can you portrait the human face of the development processes? How do you show that development initiatives and programmes improve the lives of people? The Global Photography Campaign on Humanizing Development aims to promote and showcase visual examples of people winning the battle against poverty, social exclusion and marginalization by bringing light and life into the above questions. Everyone can and is strongly encouraged to participate in this global effort and contribute with a photograph. LEARN MORE ---> __________________________________________________________________________________________ July 5, 2009: AHN Media reports record $9.68 Billion Remittances in FY 2008/2009 Despite the ongoing economic crisis, Bangladesh’s expatriates sent home a record US$9.68 billion in the fiscal year (FY) that ended on June 30, 2009. This implies a nominal increase of 22.3 percent compared to FY 2007/2008, when Bangladesh received a record $7.91 billion in remittances. LEARN MORE ---> __________________________________________________________________________________________ Physical and Psychological Implications of Risky Child Labor: A Study in Sylhet City, Bangladesh In this new Working Paper (No. 8 of the Bangladesh Development Research Working Paper Series), Mohammad Nashir Uddin, Mohammad Hamiduzzaman and Bernhard G. Gunter provide a review of the most recent child labor literature and analyze then — based on a survey undertaken in Sylhet city — to what extent risky child labor causes physical and mental discomfort. LEARN MORE ---> __________________________________________________________________________________________ Development assistance for health does not always go to countries that need it most A comprehensive study tracking development assistance for health shows that Bangladesh received only $1 billion in health funding between 2002 and 2007 even though Bangladesh has the seventh highest burden of disease among countries receiving development assistance. On the other hand, Uganda received $1.4 billion during the same time period, even though it has a far lower (19th highest) disease burden. See: Nirmala Ravishankar, Paul Gubbins, Rebecca J. Cooley, Katherine Leach-Kemon, Catherine M. Michaud, Dean T. Jamison, and Christopher J. L. Murray (2009) “Financing of global health: tracking development assistance for health from 1990 to 2007”, The Lancet, Vol. 373, No. 9681 (June 20), pp. 2113-2124. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ Bangladesh expects its economy to grow at 6 percent in FY 2009/2010 Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith told Reuters on June 9, 2009 that Bangladesh expects its economy to grow by 6 percent in the next fiscal year (FY) despite the global downturn. He also said that Bangladesh will announce a bigger fiscal budget for FY 2009/10, relying on a robust farming sector and hoping for higher aid and investment. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ June 5, 2009: World Environment Day Recognizing World Environment Day 2009, the BDRC provides (1) an updated annotated bibliography on “Climate Change and Bangladesh” (jointly with Bangladesh’s Climate Change Cell) and (2) a list of recent publications related to environment and Bangladesh. LEARN MORE ---> (1) annotated bibliography (2) list of recent publications _________________________________________________________________________________________ People’s Participation in Health Services: A Study of Bangladesh’s Rural Health Complex In this new Working Paper (No. 7 of the Bangladesh Development Research Working Paper Series), Mohammad Shafiqul Islam and Mohammad Woli Ullah focus on Bangladesh’s rural health complex. They show that a large number of Bangladesh’s people, particularly in rural areas, remain with no or little access to health care facilities. The study reveals that financial and technical support is very helpful to ensure health service among village people. It also shows that the Government’s allocation and technical support are not sufficient in the rural health complex and that the people’s participation is far from being satisfactory. The paper concludes with a variety of recommendations. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ The Impact of Development and Growth on CO2 Emissions A new study uses the example of Bangladesh to illustrate the impact of low-income countries’ economic growth on global CO2 emissions in 2050 by using a set of alternative assumptions for GDP growth and improvements in energy efficiency. The study will be presented at the 5th bi-annual conference of the United States Society for Ecological Economics (USSEE) in Washington, DC, on June 1, 2009. LEARN MORE ---> (pdf) _________________________________________________________________________________________ Cyclone Aila kills nearly 200 in Bangladesh and India Reuters: Nearly 200 people have been killed by a cyclone that ripped through Bangladesh and eastern India, while millions remained marooned by floodwater or forced to live in shelters. The death toll in Bangladesh rose to more than 130 following the recovery of dozens of bodies on Tuesday, while Indian officials said at least 64 people had died in West Bengal state. Cyclone Aila slammed into parts of coastal Bangladesh and eastern India on Monday, May 25, 2009. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ May 18, 2009: Human Rights Watch releases Report on Executions and Torture in Bangladesh For many years soldiers, paramilitary forces, and police officers have committed grave human rights violations with impunity. While thousands of people have been extra-judicially killed, tortured, and arbitrarily detained, very few perpetrators have ever been investigated, charged, convicted, and sentenced for their crimes. The report, entitled “Ignoring Executions and Torture: Impunity for Bangladesh’s Security Forces” shows that despite repeated promises to end the culture of impunity, the failure of successive governments to prosecute those responsible has been constant. The government of Bangladesh should live up to its international human rights obligations by ensuring that all allegations of abuse are thoroughly and impartially investigated and that those implicated by the evidence are prosecuted. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ An Analysis of SAFTA in the Context of Bangladesh In this new Working Paper (No. 6 of the Bangladesh Development Research Working Paper Series), Md. Joynal Abdin focuses on a review of the progress made with SAFTA, what Bangladesh’s prospects are in SAFTA, and how SAFTA can be made more active. It provides the historical background about the various initiatives within South Asia, reviews the actual trade data, and reviews the main trade restrictions within SAFTA. It also provides a set of recommendations based on this analysis. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ Critical Factors of Women Entrepreneurship Development in Rural Bangladesh In this new Working Paper (No. 5 of the Bangladesh Development Research Working Paper Series), Ms. Faraha Nawaz analyzes the critical factors of women entrepreneurship development in rural Bangladesh. The analysis is based on recent theoretical ideas that have been supported by empirical research findings. The paper depicts an analytical framework based on institutional theory, which focuses on three kinds of factors: regulative, normative, and cognitive. Based on the analysis of these factors, the paper provides many significant policy implications on how to improve women entrepreneurship development in rural Bangladesh. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ May 3, 2009: World Press Freedom Day Recognizing May 3, 2009 as World Press Freedom Day the BDRC provides three recent publications related to press freedom and Bangladesh. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ Syeda Rizwana Hasan wins the 2009 Goldman Environmental Prize The BDRC congratulates Syeda Rizwana Hasan for winning the Goldman Environmental Prize 2009 for Asia for her work on reducing the impact of Bangladesh’s exploitative and environmentally-devastating ship breaking industry. She led a legal battle resulting in increased government regulation and heightened public awareness about the dangers of ship breaking. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ April 25, 2009: World Malaria Day Recognizing World Malaria Day the BDRC provides a list of recent developmental publications related to malaria in Bangladesh. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ April 22, 2009: Bangladesh faces diarrhoea epidemic The latest data support that Bangladesh is in the grip of what doctors are calling a diarrhoea epidemic. LEARN MORE ---> (Reuters video) _________________________________________________________________________________________ April 19, 2009: Bangladesh economy has exhibited resilience so far Based on the World Bank’s latest update, Bangladesh has exhibited resilience so far and maintained an impressive growth rate of 5.5 percent in fiscal year 2009, in spite of the global economic downturn. However there are indications that the global economic recession is beginning to impact the Bangladesh economy. But how is the changing external and domestic economic environment affecting us? And what should be some of our policy responses to this looming crisis? The World Bank’s Bangladesh Semi-Annual Economic Update – April 2009, discusses the state of economy, provides insight into the changing global and domestic economic environment and outlines policy responses to the global financial crisis. LEARN MORE ---> (pdf) _________________________________________________________________________________________ April 7, 2009: World Health Day Recognizing World Health Day, the BDRC provides a list of recent developmental publications related to health issues in Bangladesh. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ April 2, 2009: Updated Poverty Maps for Bangladesh The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and the World Bank, in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP), updated the Poverty Maps for Bangladesh. Poverty mapping is an important statistical instrument that can estimate the poverty incidence at Upazila levels. The new poverty maps released yesterday is based on the Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) of 2005 and the Population Census of 2001. Bangladesh has experienced significant poverty reduction over the past two decades. The poverty incidence declined from 57 percent at the beginning of the 1990s to 40 percent in 2005. However, a closer look to the recent reduction in the national poverty rate shows uneven progress amongst different areas and communities. In fact, there remain many areas where the incidence of poverty is far larger than the national figures would suggest. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ March 22, 2009: World Water Day Recognizing World Water Day, the BDRC provides a list of recent developmental publications related to water issues in Bangladesh. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ World Bank Seeks to Improve Higher Education in Bangladesh March 17, 2009: The BDRC congratulates the World Bank for approving a US$81 million IDA credit to Bangladesh, designed to improve the quality and relevance of teaching and research in the country’s higher education institutions. Among others, the project also aims to integrate Bangladesh’s universities in the globalized world of knowledge, i.e., aims at establishing a Bangladesh Research and Education Network (BdREN), a high performance Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) network providing connectivity among education and research institutions in both public and private sectors to enable academics, scientists, and researchers to communicate with their peers within the country and globally. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ Breakthrough solutions for transitioning Bangladesh to the 21st century Bangladesh Development Initiative (BDI), Democracy and Development in Bangladesh Forum (DDBF), and The Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government are partnering to organize a two-day international conference (October 9-10, 2009) to examine the development challenges facing Bangladesh and to foster a culture of innovation geared towards addressing those challenges. The goal of the conference is to generate creative ideas that would result in breakthrough solutions for transitioning Bangladesh to the 21st century. LEARN MORE ---> (pdf) _________________________________________________________________________________________ March 8, 2009: International Women's Day Recognizing International Women's Day, the BDRC provides a list of recent developmental publications related to women and gender issues in Bangladesh. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ Bangladeshi Language Martyrs’ Day Recognizing Bangladeshi Language Martyrs’ Day and International Mother Language Day (February 21, 2009) the BDRC provides recent developmental publications related to Bangladesh’s Mother Language LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ Saving Bangladesh from sinking due to sea level rise (New Age Op-Ed, Feb. 14, 2009) Dr. A. M. Choudhury suggests that if Bangladesh can trap ten percent of the sediments coming through its rivers, Bangladesh can save itself from the curse of sea level rise. This should not be difficult. Some sediment is deposited anyway and this is how the Bangladesh delta has been built. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ February 11, 2009: South Asia has the highest rates of malnutrition and the largest numbers of undernourished children in the world. Addressing the causes of undernutrition is particularly important as it impedes productivity, economic growth and poverty reduction. The Development Marketplace invites proposals from all South Asian countries under the theme: “Family and Community Approaches to Improve Infant and Young Child Nutrition”. LEARN MORE ---> ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ February 04, 2009: Dr. Muhammad Yunus to Speak in Washington, DC Bangladesh's Nobel Peace Prize Winner will talk about his new book, "Creating a World Without Poverty". "In the last two decades, free markets have swept the globe, bringing with them enormous potential for positive change," Dr. Yunus explains. "But traditional capitalism cannot solve problems like inequality and poverty, because it is hampered by a narrow view of human nature in which people are one-dimensional beings concerned only with profit" he says. LEARN MORE ---> _____________________________________________________________________________________ February 02, 2009: Bangladesh Government approved Climate Change Trust Policy The Bangladeshi cabinet has approved in principle the Climate Change Trust Policy (CCTP) and formed two committees for managing and proper utilisation of the trust fund. “The Climate Change Trust Policy has been approved in principle. But the cabinet stressed the need for proper utilisation of the fund to ensure people’s welfare,” the prime minister’s press secretary Abul Kalam Azad told reporters after the cabinet meeting on Monday. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ January 18, 2009: Free access to Journal of Bangladesh Studies (JBS) In celebration of the 10th year of publication of the Journal of Bangladesh Studies (JBS), the JBS Editorial Board has decided to provide free and unlimited access to all articles published in the journal with a lag of four issues for an undetermined period. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ January 03, 2009: BDRC publishes its 2008 Research Report The 2008 Research Report summarizes the BDRC's main research undertaken in 2008. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ Bangladesh’s progress in its HDI falls behind other nations’ progress Based on the data released by UNDP on December 18, 2008, Bangladesh’s Human Development Index (HDI) has improved from 0.517 (in 2005) to 0.524 (in 2006). However, this progress lacks behind the progress made by other nations. Hence, Bangladesh’s ranking worsened from rank 140 in 2005 to rank 147 in 2006. LEARN MORE ---> (pdf) _________________________________________________________________________________________ Nonwood Fiber Papermaking: A Win-Win Solution for Bangladesh In this new Working Paper (No. 4 of the Bangladesh Development Research Working Paper Series), Dr. Jahan et al. provide an overview of Bangladesh’s paper industry and review the availability and suitability of nonwood fibers for papermaking in Bangladesh, coming to the conclusion that substituting wood with some nonwood fibers in papermaking could imply a win-win solution for Bangladesh. LEARN MORE ---> _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ FAO declared 2009 as the International Year of Natural Fibers Recognizing 2009 as the International Year of Natural Fibers, the Bangladesh Development Research Center (BDRC) presents "Jute — Bangladesh’s Golden Fiber of the Past, also in the Future?" LEARN MORE ---> _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ World Economic Crisis: Impact on Bangladesh In the December 2008 issue of the Daily Star’s Forum magazine, Jyoti Rahman reviews various growth projections for Bangladesh, the stories behind them, and some implications for the new government. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ The Global Financial Crisis and What it means for Bangladesh The CPD's Policy Pager No. 3 (December 2008) summarizes the key points made at a dialogue on “The Global Financial Crisis and What it Means for Bangladesh” held at the CIRDAP Auditorium on 25. October 2008. LEARN MORE ---> (pdf) _________________________________________________________________________________________ World Bank publishes a new poverty assessment for Bangladesh Bangladesh represents a success story among developing countries. Poverty incidence, which was as high as 57 percent at the beginning of the 1990s, had declined to 49 percent in 2000. This trend accelerated subsequently, reducing the poverty headcount rate to 40 percent in 2005. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ Human Rights Day (December 10, 2008) Recognizing Human Rights Day 2008, the BDRC provides a list of new publications related to Human Rights in Bangladesh. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ Bangladesh made huge progress in child development A new Child Development Index, developed by Save the Children UK, shows that Bangladesh made huge progress in child development, both in absolute and relative terms, in the years 2000-06 (compared to 1995-99). LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ Bangladesh demands debt relief for the first time December 7, 2008: Bangladesh has demanded cancellation of overseas development assistance (ODA) debts of the least developed countries (LDCs) when they are affected by adverse impacts of global climate change. Advocating more aid and debt relief for Bangladesh for some time, the BDRC congratulates Bangladesh for having taken this step. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ Mineral Extraction in Bangladesh In this new Working Paper (No. 3 of the Bangladesh Development Research Working Paper Series), Dr. Bernhard Gunter proposes some fundamental and bold reforms of the way the extraction of minerals is managed in Bangladesh. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ Children of Bangladesh Celebrating Universal Children’s Day (November 20, 2008), the BDRC initiated a task on Children in Bangladesh. The task includes various websites on ten facts, child labor, organizations, and related literature. LEARN MORE ---> _________________________________________________________________________________________ Bangladesh Deserves More Aid Bangladesh, a country with 40 million persons living below $1-a-day, deserves debt relief and more aid, especially as Bangladesh has been one of the most effective countries in terms of reducing poverty over the last decade. LEARN MORE ---> |
| Hot Topics / Features (in reverse chronological order) Features are a task of the Bangladesh Development Research Center (BDRC) BDRC tasks are a combination of BDRC research and BDRC projects |