The UK government believes it is in all our interests to help poor people build a better life for themselves. So in 1997 it created a separate government department - the Department for International Development (DFID) - to meet the many challenges of tackling world poverty. It is DFID’s job to make sure every pound of British aid works its hardest to help the world’s poor.

Bangladesh has the 7th largest population in the world, with 143 million people living in an area roughly the same size as England and Wales. Sixty nine million Bangladeshis live on less than $1 per day, and 113 million - almost 80% of the population - on less than $2 per day.

Thanks to sustained economic growth of more than 5% a year since 1990, Bangladesh has made significant progress. Poverty has decreased from 59% to 40% since 1991; life expectancy has increased from 59 to 64 years; almost all children are immunised, and more than 90% start primary school. But huge challenges remain: 70% of the urban population live in slums and more than 30 million people do not have access to safe drinking water. As a low lying delta sandwiched between the Himalayan glaciers and the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh is particularly vulnerable to climate change.

The UK has been helping Bangladesh to tackle poverty since independence in 1971, and is the largest bilateral donor. We want to help Bangladesh achieve its vision of becoming a middle-income country by 2021 (currently this equates to $936 - approximately £670 - per year). Recent successful elections, and a new democratically elected government, offer a real opportunity to make further, rapid progress.

DFID’s main challenges in Bangladesh are:

• making government more effective
• giving people access to better health, education, safe water and improved sanitation
• lifting people out of extreme poverty and reducing vulnerability to effects of climate change
• making growth work for everyone
  

DFID Bangladesh has a team of Bangladeshi and UK-based staff in Dhaka, possessing the required skills, expertise and commitment to tackle these issues competently and with confidence.

Latest News:

Bangladesh - Poverty and Climate Change

A major conference was held in Dhaka to mark World Poverty Day on 18 October 2009. The impacts of climate change on poor people in Bangladesh played a central role in the discussions. The conference, called Making the Invisible Visible, was organised by Bangladesh’s new All Party Parliamentary Group on Poverty the People’s Empowerment Trust and Shiree, a DFID-funded project, which provides funding to NGOs. 

During the opening session of the conference, DFID Bangladesh Acting Head, Jim McAlpine, highlighted the support that the UK Government is providing to help Bangladesh tackle poverty and the impacts of climate change. He said: “The climate crisis represents one of the greatest threats to poverty reduction and the extreme poor are most at risk.

In Bangladesh, climate change represents one of the greatest threats to progress being made in meeting the Millennium Development Goals: destroying lives and livelihoods, and damaging economic growth and development.  It is the poorest who are most vulnerable.  

The UK government is investing approximately £200 million over the next five years to help six million extremely poor people improve their livelihoods and access to food.

Click here for more information. 

UKaid guarantees 600,000 children in Bangladesh a decent education (18/08/2009)

The UK will guarantee that 600,000 of the poorest children in Bangladesh can continue to access decent pre-school and primary education through a new £18.5 million UKaid grant announced today. The grant is an emergency package which will ensure schools across the country can stay open as a major education project faces a funding shortfall.

The Department for International Development’s support will keep 25,000 non-formal schools open and 25,000 teachers in their jobs for the duration of the school year, helping 600,000 children receive pre-school and primary education.  It will also help older children by making sure 2,500 after school clubs for teenagers, 100 community centres and 150 secondary schools stay open.

Launch of UK Country plan for Bangladesh 2009-2014 (13/07/2009)

On Monday 13 July, UK Minister for International Development, Mike Foster launched DFID Bangladesh’s new Country Plan, the first Country Plan to be issued following the release of the new White Paper.

The launch was attended by leading representatives from the UK and UK-based Bangladeshi community and media, as well as representatives from Government and non-government organisations. The new Bangladesh High Commissioner to London (Dr. Rahman Khan) also said a few words, praising UKaid in Bangladesh. The setting, posters, running photo presentation, musicians and Bangladeshi food all added up to a great atmosphere and appropriate sense of occasion.