Oct 02, 2015

Chittagong Hill Tracts: UNDP Programme Extended by One Year.


Photo courtesy of jankle @Flickr


The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has decided to extend its Chittagong Hill Tracts programme until September 2016. The programme focuses on sustainable development, food security and social governance. UNDP has successfully helped the local community by increasing access to healthcare, education and food.

 

Below is an article published by Prothom Alo Bangladesh:

 

 

The programme for ‘Promotion of Development and Confidence Building in the Chittagong Hill Tracts’, implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Bangladesh Government, has been extended by one year until September 2016.

UNDP Bangladesh said it will continue to promote and advocate for sustainable development in CHT, engaging with key stakeholders at national, regional, and local levels.

The one-year no-cost extension was formally approved by the Bangladesh Planning Commission earlier this month in close coordination with the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tract Affairs and the Economic Relations Division.

As a result of this approval, the Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Facility (CHTDF) will continue to deliver the same objectives and agreed upon activities in the next 12 months with funding from USAID, Denmark and Sweden, said a press release on Wednesday.

“The extension will enable the vital work happening under our projects to continue for another year. This is good news for all the CHT stakeholders and I thank the government for its leadership in this regard,” said Henrik Fredborg Larsen, Director of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Facility, UNDP Bangladesh.

The next phase of support is expected to come online in 2016. The key focus areas during the upcoming phase will include: (1) livelihoods and food security; 2) sustainable management of Village Common Forests and Reserved Forests; and (3) improved governance and social cohesion.

Today over 20,000 Hill Tracts children have access to quality education, 50,000 households have increased food security as a result of over 1,700 Rice Banks.

Hill District Councils, with CHTDF support, are now successfully managing the delivery of health services, treating 2.5 million patient cases and ensuring over 2,800 safe births since the project’s first phase.