Bangladesh has signed its new United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) for the period 2017–2020 on 3 November 2016. Economic Relations Division Senior Secretary Mohammad Mejbahuddin and UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Representative Robert D. Watkins co-signed the framework document. 13 UN agencies that are resident in Bangladesh and 10 non-resident UN agencies, including the IAEA, have subscribed to the framework. Ms Najat Mokhtar, Director of the Division for Asia and the Pacific Division in the IAEA’s Department of Technical Cooperation, signed on behalf of the IAEA.
Bangladesh’s new UNDAF builds on both the experience of previous UN programmes in the country and responds to the national development priorities contained in the 7th Five Year Plan of the Government of Bangladesh, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The three priority outcome areas of the new framework are: (1) People – All people have equal rights, access and opportunities; (2) Planet – Sustainable and resilient environment; and (3) Prosperity – Inclusive and shared economic growth. Emphasis will be placed on addressing the inequalities and needs of Bangladesh’s most vulnerable people, predominantly through joint programming (across UN agencies, and between the UN and civil society). The UN’s collective responses encompass capacity strengthening and technical assistance for programmes.
The IAEA will provide technical cooperation to Bangladesh with emphasis on priority areas such as health, water and sanitation; food security and nutrition; environment; disaster management; and social protection and employment, thus contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 13, 14, 15 and 17.
In recent years, the IAEA has worked closely with the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC), the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA), the Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA), the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) to help address the country’s strategic priorities, Social Services for Human Development and Food Security and Nutrition. The IAEA has provided technical cooperation activities to strengthen national capacities and capabilities for enhancing agricultural and livestock productivity, improving the quality and quantity of drinking and irrigation water, and supporting cancer management through improved radiotherapy and nuclear medicine services. The IAEA was also a signatory to Bangladesh’s 2012–2016 UNDAF.
View the UNDAF for Bangladesh here:
http://www.un-bd.org/Docs/Publication/Bangladesh%20UNDAF%202017-2020.pdf.
