Ambassador Muhammad Abdul Muhith, Bangladesh's permanent representative to the United Nations, has been elected vice-president of the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board for 2023 at the elections held in New York. This will enable Bangladesh to work closely with the other board members and the leaderships of these three vital UN organs and provide them with strategic guidance for their work. The ambassador of Kenya was elected president of the board on Tuesday. The other vice-presidents are ambassadors of Costa Rica, Ukraine and Türkiye. Read more: Switzerland, UNDP sign deal to promote peaceful, inclusive societies for sustainable development Ambassador Muhith is serving as the current chair of the UN Peacebuilding Commission and served as the president of the Executive Board of the UN Women last year. The UNDP, UNFPA and UNOPS have specific mandates to advance the UN's development agenda at the field level in realising Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UNDP is the largest UN agency with a primary focus on poverty alleviation and sustainable development. The UNFPA covers population and family planning issues, while the UNOPS works in cross-cutting areas across peace, development and humanitarian matters. Read more: Liller vows to continue UNDP’s full support to Bangladesh

Mashiur Rahman, Economic Affairs Advisor to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said on Thursday that the IMF loan is like a character certificate. “If we get this certificate, everyone will show interest in giving us loans,” he told a seminar on ‘South-South and Triangular Cooperation: Tapping New Opportunities.’ The discussion was jointly organised by Economic Relations Division (ERD) and UNDP in the capital, Dhaka. Read more: Government working on IMF’s conditions to get $4.5 billion loan Mashiur said that the IMF’s lending as budget support means that the economic management of a country is sound. “If this is the case, other countries or organisations will express interest in lending easily. The investment will also come along with it,” he said. UN Resident Coordinator Gwyn Lewis and UNDP Resident Representative Stefan Liller were present as special guests while ERD Secretary Sharifa Khan presided over the function. Read more: $4.5bn IMF loan: 1st instalment expected next Feb, says Mustafa Kamal Policy Exchange of Bangladesh CEO and Chairman M. Masrur Reaz and Research and Policy Integration for Development (PRI) Chairman Dr. MA Razzaque presented the main articles on the topic. Faizul Islam, Additional Secretary of ERD and UNDP’s Country Economist Nazneen Ahmed also spoke at the event.

The Swiss government has joined hands with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Bangladesh to provide the Bangladesh government with support for gender equality and the promotion of peace, justice and strong institutions. The $5.53 million deal for the Strengthening Institutions, Policies and Services (SIPS) Programme was penned at the UNDP office in Dhaka on Tuesday. Read more: Landslides remain most substantial damaging, recurrent hazards in Cox’s Bazar: UNDP Suzanne Mueller, Head of Cooperation and Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh and UNDP Resident Representative Stefan Liller signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organisations. “We need to strongly integrate SDG16 & SDG5 for inclusive economic development, gender equality, governance, & human rights for agenda 2030 and I firmly believe this new SIPS initiative will contribute to that," Suzanne said at the signing. “We are grateful to Switzerland for our longstanding partnership and commitment to jointly support Bangladesh in achieving Agenda 2030 - particularly by strengthening its institutions and promoting good governance,” said Stefan Liller. Read more: Safe Digital Space: AUW, UNDP to promote intercommunal, religious harmony Despite Bangladesh’s magnificent strides in achieving Sustainable Development Goals, a lot still needs to be done in terms of governance indicators. More importantly, the government of Bangladesh has emphasised strengthening democratic institutions at both the national and local levels. The new programme targets three major outcomes - strengthening the capacities of Bangladesh’s bureaucracy to deliver on SDG 16 and SDG 5, making institutions of public oversight more people-centric and effectively fulfil their mandates and strengthening the policy environment to sustain SDG results and integrating SDGs into routine government operations and partnerships. Swiss embassy’s Senior Programme Manager for Economic Governance Sohel Ibn Ali, UNDP’s Deputy Resident Representative, Van Nguyen, Assistant Resident Representative, Anowarul Haq, Senior Governance Advisor, Md Mozammel Haque, and Senior Governance Specialist, Sheela Tasneem Haq, were also present at the signing.

The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Dhaka and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have signed an agreement for a two-year project for landslide risk management in Cox’s Bazar. The agreement was signed by UNDP Bangladesh Resident Representative Stefan Liller and Norwegian Ambassador to Bangladesh Espen Rikter-Svendsen on behalf of their respective organisations, at the latter’s office on Wednesday. UNDP and Norway have a long and successful history of working together, Espen Rikter-Svendsen said at the signing ceremony. Read: Japan, UNFPA join hands to provide $3.7 million assistance to Rihingyas in Bhasan Char, host communities in Noakhali “Our previous pilot initiative to strengthen landslide monitoring and early warning systems in the camps and host communities has helped save a lot of lives,” he said, adding that “We want to build further on that through this project.” “With our technical expertise on early warning systems and UNDP’s expertise in disaster risk management, I believe this project would be able to effectively reduce the consequences of natural disaster.” “As one of our major contributors, we thank the Norwegian government for being with us as our core partner,” UNDP Bangladesh Resident Representative Stefan Liller said at the signing. “Landslides remain one of the most substantial damaging and recurrent hazards in Cox’s Bazar,” Stefan Liller said. “In 2019, rainfall-induced landslides affected more than 50,000 refugees with 6,300 temporarily displaced, 10 fatalities and 42 injured.” Read: Digital devices increase women's capacity to contribute to livelihoods: UNDP envoy “It also affects the host community, especially the poor and landless people who settle in the foothill areas. It is estimated that around one million people are currently living with landslide risks in Cox’s Bazar District,” the UNDP Resident Representative pointed out. The two-year project will be addressing the risk by enhancing existing landslide warning systems, strengthening disaster management capacities of local government, humanitarian and first responders, and implementing community-led nature-based solutions in the most vulnerable communities. The embassy’s Deputy Head of Mission Silje Fines Wannebo, Senior Advisor Morshed Ahmed and advisor Zohora Farzana Ahmed Bipasha were present at the signing along with UNDP’s Deputy Resident Representative Van Nguyen, Assistant Resident Representatives Prasenjit Chakma and Sarder M Asaduzzaman and Head of Communications Md Abdul Quayyum.  

The experts have called upon the government, development partners and private sector to create an enabling environment for inclusive insurance and risk financing, ensuring sustainable development for the country and leaving no one behind. "Validation workshop on Country Diagnostic on Inclusive Insurance and Risk Finance for Bangladesh," was organised Thursday by the Financial Institutions Division (FID), Ministry of Finance (MoF), Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). "The protection of people and assets is a key component of sustainable development and Insurance is the protection. Without insurance, achieving sustainable development will never be possible," IDRA Chairman Mohammad Jainul Bari said. He continued that the COVID-19 pandemic was an eye-opener on the need for expanding access to insurance for the underserved population to protect vulnerable communities from disasters. 'To mitigate the risk and bring sustainability, everyone must need to have basic knowledge of inclusive insurance and how it helps in risk financing and the overall economy of Bangladesh," he added. Bangladesh Insurance Association President Sheikh Kabir Hossain said: "We have to run awareness campaigns to build the trust of the people by making them more aware about insurance leading to their inclusion in the safety net." "Building, retaining and supporting progress amongst a diverse workforce will only be sustainable if all members share the same outlook and have transparency. So, government and private stakeholders need to have the same outlook about mitigating risks and bringing everyone under insurance coverage for a much safer environment in Bangladesh. BIA will play a vital role and act as a bridge among the stakeholders," Hossain said.    "The findings and recommendations of the country diagnostic have provided us a clear direction for creating an enabling environment for mainstreaming inclusive insurance and risk financing in the country," UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Van Nguyen said. Pointing out that UNDP's work with the government has been rewarding, Van continued, "We are committed to continuing our support to strengthen the legislative frameworks, institutional capacity and insurance industry for enhancing the resilience of the most vulnerable communities and achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Bangladesh." Read more: Insurance companies’ assets grew 4-fold in 12 years: Finance Minister Bangladesh is vulnerable to climate change due to its low-lying delta ecosystem that exposes the country to several disasters such as flash floods, monsoon floods, cyclones, storm surges, salinity intrusion, drought and unpredictable rainfall. The government is keen to explore the insurance industry to consider it as a risk transfer mechanism. UNDP has conducted a country diagnostic that has assessed the risks and vulnerability in Bangladesh, considering the existing enabling environment and financial instruments. The diagnostic study has highlighted challenges, opportunities, and areas where UNDP can, together with partners, provide the necessary support for the government and private stakeholders to improve the enabling environment for inclusive insurance and risk financing. Read more: Govt mulling introduction of ‘national social safety insurance’  

Multiple crises are halting progress on human development, which is going backwards in the overwhelming majority of countries, according to the UN. The 2021-22 human development report "Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives: Shaping our Future in a Transforming World," released Thursday, paints a picture of a global society lurching from crisis to crisis, and which risks heading towards increasing deprivation and injustice. For the first time in the 32 years that the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has been calculating it, the Human Development Index, which measures a nation's health, education, and standard of living, has declined globally for two years in a row. Human development has fallen back to its 2016 levels, reversing much of the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. The UN report finds that nine out of 10 countries have fallen behind on life expectancy, education and living standards. Heading the list of events causing major global disruptions are Covid and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which have come on top of sweeping social and economic shifts, dangerous planetary changes, and massive increases in polarization.   This signals a deepening crisis for many regions, and Latin America, the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia have been hit particularly hard as 30 years of continuous human progress is unravelling. Read: Bangladesh moves 3 notches up in Human Development Index "The world is scrambling to respond to back-to-back crises," said Achim Steiner, UNDP administrator. "We have seen with the cost of living and energy crises that, while it is tempting to focus on quick fixes like subsidising fossil fuels, immediate relief tactics are delaying the long-term systemic changes we must make."   The UN study's authors identified three layers of today's "uncertainty complex" – dangerous planetary change, the transition to new ways of organising industrial societies, and the intensification of political and social polarization. Also read: Rebuilding Ukraine may cost $349bn "It is not just that typhoons are getting bigger and deadlier through human impact on the environment," the report said. "It is also as if, through our social choices, their destructive paths are being directed at the most vulnerable among us."

Newly appointed UNDP Resident Representative for Bangladesh Stefan Liller on Tuesday vowed to continue UNDP’s full support to the government of Bangladesh to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, graduate to a middle-income economy and tackle the adversities presented by climate change. During his meeting with Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, Liller stressed the longstanding partnership between Bangladesh and UNDP since the independence of the country. He presented his credentials to the Foreign Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Foreign Minister welcomed Liller and received his credentials issued by UNDP’s Administrator Achim Steiner. In his role, Liller is responsible for UNDP’s activities in the country, closely collaborating with national stakeholders and international partners to support Bangladesh’s national priorities in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In line with government priorities and in the spirit of “Leaving No One Behind”, UNDP’s programme in Bangladesh promotes women empowerment, good governance, reducing inequalities, youth employment, climate action, environmental protection and energy efficiency. Read: It was end-of-mandate statement, not global report: UN rights office

The government of Japan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Wednesday launched a new project to address the unprecedented rise in infectious health care waste caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that is overwhelming waste treatment facilities. The project will support the national health agencies and other key stakeholders in Bangladesh, Bhutan and the Maldives. The two-year $11 million ‘Project for the Improvement of Infectious Waste Management’ was officially launched at a signing ceremony in New York City, said the UN agency. Ambassador Takeshi Osuga, Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations and Kanni Wignaraja, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific at UNDP attended the signing ceremony. “The government of Japan is proud to support Bangladesh, Bhutan and the Maldives to establish sustainable solutions for health care waste management, that will provide long-term benefits for health care workers, patients and the wider community, as well as contribute to protecting human security,” said the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations. Read:Holding fair polls requires equal role from all sides: Ambassador Haas Improperly managed health care waste is recognized as a significant source of pollutants. For example, disposing untreated health care waste in open dumps and landfill sites can cause soil and water contamination, while inadequate incineration of medical waste can lead to the release of persistent organic pollutants. Many low- and middle-income countries have historically had limited public and private investments in sustainable waste treatment systems, and now find themselves in the dire situation of mounting health care waste that is beyond their waste management capacity. “The COVID-19 pandemic continues to present compound challenges for countries on their path to recovery and sustainable development,” said Kanni Wignaraja. “The threat posed by inadequate health care waste management systems is one such challenge that requires urgent attention, so we can better safeguard our health as well as that of the environment.” The project will support key stakeholders in the three countries to deploy locally appropriate health care waste management practices and technologies to help protect human health, and minimize the pandemic's environmental and social impacts. Health facilities in 26 sub-districts in Bangladesh, in 15 districts across 4 cities in Bhutan, and 6 atolls in the Maldives will benefit from the support. Health care workers will receive training on properly treating and handling infectious waste, which requires special treatment processes to ensure there is no risk of onward disease transmission to patients, hospital staff and nearby communities. Health facilities will also be equipped with specialized health care waste disposal equipment and digital management systems for improved coordination.  UNDP’s work in health is guided by its Strategic Plan and HIV and Health Strategy, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Through a systems and governance approach, and in collaboration with other UN agencies and partners, UNDP helps countries to deliver more strongly integrated health and development solutions that have equity, resilience and sustainability at their core.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and Grameenphone on Sunday jointly launched graduate employment in the private sector programme under an alliance called "FutureNation" to create economic opportunities for all by 2041. Future Nation, an alliance of the private, public and development sectors, is created to accelerate the nation's future economic growth by enhancing the skills and potential of youth by identifying opportunities for development, employment, entrepreneurship, and investment in the post-pandemic situation. Salman F Rahman, Private Industry and Investment Adviser to the Prime Minister; Zunaid Ahmed Palak, State Minister for ICT; Md Sirazul Islam, Executive Chairman, BIDA; Radwan Mujib Siddiq, Strategic Advisor, UNDP;  Mohsina Yasmin, Executive Member, International Investment Promotion, BIDA Sudipto Mukerjee, Resident Representative, UNDP; and Yasir Azman, CEO, Grameenphone; joined the launching ceremony held in the city. While speaking at the event as the chief guest Salman Rahman said after realizing a ‘Digital Bangladesh’, the government is now working to establish a ‘Smart Bangladesh’ to be successfully involved in the 4IR, engaging to create youth employment through various ICT initiatives, a pre-condition for sustaining Bangladesh’s prosperity. “I wholeheartedly applaud this initiative, ‘FutureNation by Grameenphone, UNDP and BIDA,” he said. Read: UNDP to work with BRAC for accelerating pace of poverty reduction Palak said Bangladesh is uniquely positioned to potentially benefi­t from a demographic dividend but to reap the benefits of a demographic dividend stable employment opportunities and equipping the youth with digital competencies is pivotal. “We must collaborate to reduce the disparity between the urban and rural areas by transforming the country into a digitally connected society. FutureNation is one of this co-creation,” he said. Radwan Mujib in a video message shared his vision about FutureNation and said FutureNation with its advanced grooming method and more realistic assessment procedure, will help endow the youth with employable skills. “I am delighted to see this coalition support the very critical area of building skills through their technology and innovation. Such an initiative will be impactful to upskill the youth and prepare them for real work,” he said. Sudipto Mukerjee said the global job market is consistently evolving and they must ensure that youth is prepared for the new reality presented by the fast-paced economic and technological evolutions. “The blessings of a demographic dividend do not last forever. The private, public and development sectors have to work hand in hand and accelerate efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030,” he said. Read: Citi, UNDP support young entrepreneurs to achieve SDGs in Bangladesh Jorgen C. Arentz Rostrup, EVP, Head of Asia, Telenor, in his video message said creating opportunities for youth is fundamental for any nation and it is crucial for Bangladesh, more so due to its great national ambitions and is one of the fastest growing economies. “Grameenphone has been creating employment opportunities for the last 25 years. At Telenor, we believe strong partnerships create a stronger impact and this alliance is exemplary of that. Time is now to create new opportunities for the youth of Bangladesh.” Yasir Azman, CEO, Grameenphone, said at Grameenphone, they always take a youth-first approach through our tech, innovation and social impact projects.   “Today I am delighted to be a part of this collective effort- a step towards realigning the existing talent with emerging technologies, making them more cyber smart, and ultimately enabling better job opportunities and future proofing the youth of Bangladesh for the digital world."

Speakers at a workshop on Monday called upon the government, development partners and private sector for enabling an environment for inclusive insurance and risk financing for the country’s sustainable development, leaving no one behind.  The event titled ‘Inception workshop on Country Diagnostic on Inclusive Insurance and Risk Finance for Bangladesh‘ “was organized at a hotel in Dhaka, by the Financial Institutions Division (FID), Ministry of Finance, Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Sheikh Mohammad Salim Ullah, Secretary, FID, Ministry of Finance, attended the workshop as the chief guest, while Mohammad Joynul Bari, Chairman, IDRA and Van Nguyen, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP Bangladesh were the special guests.  Among others, Dr. Baqui Khalily, Chairman Risk Management Committee, Bank Asia and Abdullah Harun Pasha, Additional Secretary, FID, Ministry of Finance were also present.     Also read: Default loans cross over 126 crore: Finance Minister  Sheikh Mohammad Salim Ullah said, “There is an increasing need for decision makers to be involved in developing the insurance products. They also need to understand how climate change risks could affect their investments and how to mitigate those risks through proper planning, incentive structures and financial instruments. In this context, to achieve the mission of developing an efficient, inclusive and robust financial market and services system, FID is continuously working on many projects. Being a part of this project is another milestone for our institution to enter the groundwork in inert-related areas of insurance and risk finance. ” A.K.M. Mamunur Rashid, Climate Change Specialist, UNDP Bangladesh set the tone of the event.  He provided a brief overview of why inclusive insurance and risk financing are essential for Bangladesh to cover the risks of the most vulnerable communities. Jan Kellett, Team Leader, Insurance and Risk Finance Facility (IRFF), UNDP delivered a presentation on “Initiatives of the Insurance and Risk Finance Facility, UNDP and several best practices in the space of inclusive insurance and risk financing”.  Van Nguyen from UNDP said, “ I hope that under the leadership of FID, MoF and IDRA as the regulatory authorities, strong representation of the insurance industry and relevant key stakeholders – the country diagnostic will provide us with a clear direction for creating enabling environment for mainstreaming inclusive insurance and risk financing in the country. We are committed to continuing our support in the future to strengthen the legislative frameworks, institutional capacity and insurance industry for enhancing the resilience of the most vulnerable communities and achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Bangladesh.” Dr. M. Baqui Khalily, Chairman, Risk Management Committee, Bank Asia,  Nasir Uddin Ahmed, First Vice President, Bangladesh Insurance Association, Netai Dey Sarker, Director, Department of Disaster Management, Government of Bangladesh also spoke at the event. Also read:Commit 2% of GDP to climate finance each year: civil society organisations Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries due to its low-lying delta ecosystem that exposes the country to several disasters such as flash floods, monsoon floods, cyclones, storm surges, salinity intrusion, draught and unpredictable rainfall, said UNDP.  The government of Bangladesh (GoB) is keen to explore the insurance industry to consider it as a risk transfer mechanism. UNDP is conducting a country diagnostic that will document and assess the risks and vulnerability in Bangladesh considering the existing enabling environment and financial instruments.  The diagnostic study will highlight challenges, opportunities, and areas where UNDP can, together with partners, provide the necessary support for the government and private stakeholders to improve the enabling environment for inclusive insurance and risk financing.