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Photos credits:World Bank Photo Library Cover Design and Text layout: Duina Reyes COUNTRY SNAPSHOT Rapid growth has propelled Bangladesh from low-income to low-middle-income country (LMIC) status, as FY2014 per capita gross national income (GNI) of $1,080 crossed the mid- dle-income country threshold of $1,046. Per capita income continued to increase in FY2015 to $1,220. Gross domestic product (GDP) grew well above the average for developing countries in re- cent years, averaging 6.2 percent since 2010, with services and industry accounting for the bulk of the growth. While Bangladesh has achieved its ambition to reach middle-income status by 2021, the 50th anniversary of its independence, the challenge will be to further accelerate growth so that it moves well past the threshold and further up the income range of LMICs. Several factors are behind the resilience of Bangladesh’s economy, against the backdrop of a volatile global economy. Robust macroeconomic fundamentals at the onset of the financial crisis, strong growth of exports and remittances, and relatively under developed and insulated financial markets have played an important role. Bangladesh’s exports doubled their world market share be- tween 1995 and 2012. The ready-made garment (RMG) sector has been a key contributor, with its share of total exports accounting for more than 80 percent in FY2014. Bangladesh is now the world’s second largest garment exporter, making it unique among low-income countries because of the high share of manufactured goods in its exports (90 percent vs. ~20 percent in comparator countries in 2012). Progress on reducing extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity through human devel- opment and employment generation has continued. This needs to be further consolidated in the near term by sustaining GDP and remittances growth, creating jobs, containing inflation, and making progress on improving the quality of service delivery in health and education. Private investments need to increase significantly to achieve the government’s 7 percent growth target for FY2016. At the same time, the quality of public investment needs to be substantially enhanced to alleviate the infrastructure constraints on private investments and to expand service delivery. Moving forward in the immediate future, stronger attention is needed to: (i) swiftly complete the transition in the gar- ment industry: (ii) finish critical ongoing road development projects; (iii) enact the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) law; and (iv) facilitate building Special Economic Zones (SEZs). ECONOMIC OVERVIEW for FY2015 (July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015) shows a stronger economy relative to FY2014 despite politi- cal turmoil, depressed export growth, only a modest rebound in remittances, and continued weakness BANGLADESH in the private sector credit growth. Agricultural 2014 production has been healthy and services have re- Population, million 158.5 covered with domestic demand regaining strength. These alone cannot explain why growth in FY2015 GDP, current US$ billion 173.1 was higher than FY2014. GDP per capita, current US$ 1092 Sources: World Bank, WDI, and Macro Poverty Outlook Recent Developments With the return of some degree of political stability Macroeconomic stability was sustained. Ban- since April 2015, domestic economic activity, which gladesh was not affected by recent turmoil in had been disrupted between January and March, emerging and developed markets. Headline in- has picked up. The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics’ flation evolved along the projected path toward 6.5 preliminary 6.5 percent gross GDP growth estimate percent in FY2015 from 7.4 percent the year before. Bangladesh Country Snapshot 1 mittance growth momentum, Contribution to Annual GDP Growth although the decline in oil prices may weaken labor demand in 10.0 these markets. The risks of infla- 8.0 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 tion remain non-trivial. 6.0 5.6 6.0 6.1 6.0 5.0 The Medium-Term Macroeco- In Percent 4.0 2.0 nomic Framework presented 0.0 with the FY2016 budget is achievable if the structural 2011 2012 2015 2016 (P) 2008 2013 2014 2009 2010 -2.0 -4.0 reforms in infrastructure management and business Final consumption Gross Fixed Investment Net Export regulation are implemented. Statistical Discrepancy GDP Growth Rate However, achieving the 7 per- cent GDP growth target while reducing inflation to 6.2 percent However, non-food inflation has risen in the first during FY2016 will be challenging. All evidence half of 2015. Banks’ lending rates have declined, the suggest Bangladesh’s potential GDP growth rate is exchange rate has been stable, and foreign reserves no more than 6.5 percent given its demographics, have crossed $26 billion. The fiscal deficit was con- feeble state of physical infrastructure, and linger- tained at around 3.6 percent of GDP in FY2015. The ing political uncertainties. Macroeconomic man- FY2016 budget targets 5 percent deficit with 23.1 agement will have to include strong surveillance percent growth in expenditures and an ambitious of the economy’s proclivity to overheat if growth 27.6 percent revenue growth target. Broad money diverges above the potential rate and adjust the growth fell short of the 16.5 percent Monetary policy instruments accordingly. Policy Statement target, primarily reflecting weak demand for credit both from the private sector and The FY2016 budget is expected to boost growth the central government. The (trade-weighted) real directly through consumption and indirectly effective exchange rate (REER) has appreciated by by facilitating exports and private investment. 14.4 percent in last 12 months ending August 2015, It has increased public pay and allowances by despite a stable nominal taka-dollar exchange rate, 57.3 percent and promised to complete a number because of 15.9 percent appreciation of taka-euro of large ongoing investment projects this year. In nominal rate and higher domestic inflation relative education, health and social protection, there is a to inflation in Bangladesh’s trading partner coun- decline in the level of spending relative to the total tries. Weaknesses in financial regulations have con- size of the FY2016 budget. That does not bode well tinued. for human development and might slow the pace of poverty reduction. Central government bank Outlook borrowing requirements may exceed the budget target due to likely shortfall in revenue collection, With political stability in the near-term, growth aid disbursement, and non-bank borrowing tar- in FY2016 is projected at 6.5 percent, driven by gets. The budget deficit may rise in FY2016, but the stronger consumption and export growth. Ban- debt level is currently at a low risk of distress. The gladesh is not at significant risk from contagion monetary program envisages accommodating the related to recent turmoil in international financial central government bank borrowing target without markets or slower growth in China. Income and monetizing it. REER elasticity of demand for export are low. Only 2.3 percent of exports go to China. Bangladesh’s Challenges capital account is not open. Non-resident investor presence in Bangladesh’s financial market is very Bangladesh’s progress on structural reforms has limited. The recent reopening of Saudi and UAE remained slow. Structural reforms are particularly markets to Bangladeshi labor may help regain re- challenging in the following areas: 2 (annual percent change unless indicated otherwise) 2012 2013 2014 2015 f 2016 f 2017 f Real GDP growth, at constant market prices 6.5 6.0 6.1 6.5 6.5 6.7 Private Consumption 4.1 5.1 4.0 5.4 6.5 6.6 Government Consumption 3.1 5.8 7.9 9.4 20.2 12.8 Gross Fixed Capital Investment 10.6 5.4 9.9 9.6 7.4 7.6 Exports, Goods and Services 12.5 2.4 3.2 -3.7 8.5 10.5 Imports, Goods and Services 10.5 1.2 1.2 7.5 12.0 11.5 Real GDP growth, at constant factor prices 6.7 6.1 6.2 6.5 6.5 6.7 Agriculture 3.0 2.5 4.4 3.0 7.3 6.7 Industry 9.4 9.6 8.2 9.6 7.0 8.1 Services 6.6 5.5 5.6 5.8 6.0 5.9 Prices Inflation (GDP price deflator) 8.2 7.2 5.8 5.7 9.4 9.3 Inflation (Consumer Price Index) 8.7 6.8 7.3 6.4 6.5 6.7 Inflation (Private Consumption Deflator) 9.9 6.8 7.4 6.4 8.1 7.3 Inflation (Consumer Price Index) 8.7 6.8 7.3 6.4 6.5 6.7 Current Account Balance (% of GDP) -0.3 1.6 0.8 -0.8 -0.4 -0.6 Fiscal Balance (% of GDP) -3.5 -3.9 -3.5 -3.6 -4.6 -4.4 Sources: World Bank, Macroeconomics and Fiscal Management Global Practice. Notes: f = forecast. In annual percent change unless indicated otherwise. Financial. There has been no visible reduction in event of an economic slowdown, or to invest in in- nonperforming loans as habitual defaulters contin- frastructure or human capital. ue their delinquent behavior with impunity. Inac- tion on making the defaulters accountable has not Fiscal. Reforms to improve the effectiveness of pub- helped change the game. lic expenditure and revenue administration are badly needed. Energy. Bangladesh has not made use of this op- portunity either to build fiscal space, which would Administrative. Much of the reform agenda, includ- allow an effective counter-cyclical response in the ing a broad-based reform of state-owned enter- prises, remains to be implemented. Bangladesh Country Snapshot 3 RECENT SECTOR abroad contributed to growth in GNI and remit- tance per capita. Most recent research evidence re- DEVELOPMENTS confirms that remittances contribute significantly to poverty reduction – directly by augmenting the income of the receiving families and indirectly by Poverty Reduction and Shared Prosperity contributing to local level development.1 Bangladesh has achieved commendable prog- Infrastructure ress in poverty reduction and is on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goal Access to infrastructure in Bangladesh is an im- (MDG) of halving the incidence of extreme pov- portant determinant of both agricultural and erty. Projections using 2010 Household Income non-farm incomes in rural areas. To date, Bangla- and Expenditure Survey (HIES) data indicate that desh’s investment in infrastructure has been low. the national poverty rate fell to 24.8 percent in Public investment in (hard) infrastructure was less 2015, less than half the 58.8 percent rate in 1991- than 2 percent of GDP, and it lags behind its region- 1992. Poverty headcount based on $1.25 per day al competitors in infrastructure quality. (Table) By purchasing power parity is projected to fall from contrast, total investment in hard infrastructure in 43.5 percent in 2010 to 36.5 percent in 2017. This China, Thailand, and Vietnam exceeded 7 percent steady reduction is mainly attributable to improve- of GDP. Those countries also invested another 7-8 ments in the farm income of rural households. In- percent of GDP in education, training, and health. deed, the main contributor to poverty reduction Unless infrastructure bottlenecks in Bangladesh between 2005 and 2010 was labor income, driven are addressed in a timely manner, they risk becom- by increases in farm income. In addition, the esti- ing increasingly important constraints limiting mated patterns in poverty reduction are reinforced future growth prospects. The World Bank Group by the decline in food price inflation from 8.6 per- (WBG) estimates that in order to reach sustained cent in FY2014 to 6.7 percent in FY2015. 7.5-8.0 percent growth rates, significant increases Consumption inequality in Bangladesh remains in investment are required to at least 33 percent of low and very stable. Consumption inequality as GDP, including an increase in infrastructure invest- measured by the Gini index was estimated at 31 ments to around 10 percent of GDP per year. percent and 30 percent in 2005 and 2010, respec- tively. Growth incidence curves in 2005-2010 re- Energy veal that consumption growth was pro-poor – that is, poorer households benefited from a larger rise Even though electricity generation capacity has in per capita consumption than those at the top doubled since 2009, Bangladesh continues to of the distribution. The per capita consumption of face significant power shortages. While installed the bottom 40 percent is likely to have continued capacity increased from 4,900 megawatts (MW) in to increase over the past year, responding to the 2009 to 11,200 MW today, available capacity is only increase in rural wages, expansion in agricultural around 7,700 MW, which is inadequate to sustain output, and reduction in food prices. Yet, differenc- middle- or high-level economic activity for a nation es in agricultural wages of male and female agricul- of almost 160 million people. At the same time, only tural workers remain very high. During the high ag- 60 percent of the population had access to electric- ricultural season in FY2015, the average wage for ity, and per-capita electricity consumption of 294 female workers in the divisions of Barisal, Khulna, kilowatt hours (kWh) per year was one of the low- and Rajshahi was only 197 Taka/day compared to est in the world. As a result, the availability and re- 295 Taka/day for male workers. liability of power is a key concern for businesses. In the 2014 Doing Business report, Bangladesh was GNI per capita has grown rapidly because of growth in GDP per capita and remittance per capita. Sustained acceleration of GDP growth, 1  Professor Tasneem Siddiqui and Dr. Raisul Awal Mahmud, declining population growth rate and contin- Key Findings, Impact of Migration on Poverty and Local Level De- ued growth of the stock of Bangladeshis working velopment, August 31, 2014. 4 INFRASTRUCTURE QUALITY IN BANGLADESH LAGS BEHIND ITS REGIONAL COMPETITORS Country Infrastructure Country Electricity Roads Railroad Port Ranking Score (Overall) China 46 4.7 5.2 4.6 4.8 4.6 Thailand 48 4.6 5.1 4.5 2.4 4.5 Sri Lanka 75 4.0 4.8 5.1 3.7 4.2 Vietnam 81 3.7 4.2 3.2 3.0 3.7 India 87 3.6 3.4 3.8 4.2 4.0 Cambodia 107 3.1 3.0 3.4 1.6 3.6 Pakistan 119 2.7 2.1 3.8 2.5 4.4 Bangladesh 127 2.5 2.5 2.9 2.4 3.7 Myanmar 137 2.1 2.8 2.4 1.8 2.6 Source: World Economic Forum, Global Competitiveness Report 2014-15; Ranking out of 144 countries. also ranked the lowest out of 189 economies on the capacity, off-grid rural electrification through solar “getting electricity” indicator. There was a 22 per- home systems, renewable energy investments, and cent shortfall in meeting peak capacity in FY2013, rural transmission and distribution. and a 13 percent shortfall in meeting non-peak demand. At the same time, energy demand is pro- Inland Connectivity and Logistics jected to rise nearly five-fold to over 190 terrawatt (TW) hours by 2030. Improving connectivity is key for Bangladesh to Gas is critical for the power sector in Bangla- accelerate the economic transformation of its desh, since it fuels 70 percent of generation. Ex- rural areas. Rural road investments in Bangladesh ploration of additional domestic gas is now a prior- have reduced poverty significantly through higher ity, particularly offshore. In the meantime, liquefied agricultural production, higher wages, lower input natural gas (LNG) imports will likely be required and transportation costs, and higher output prices, soon to fuel existing gas-fired plants as well as and also led to more girls’ and boys’ schooling. Ad- those under construction. Given Bangladesh’s over- equate attention to ensuring this network is prop- reliance on natural gas, power supply diversifica- erly maintained and developed and further inte- tion is also a key need. Other issues facing the pow- grated with the larger transport network remains er sector include: (i) the dual challenge of massive an important public policy priority. In particular, investment in new capacity while simultaneously Bangladesh needs to move away from the “build, facing an increasing cost of supply; (ii) enhancing neglect, rebuild” mindset, and instead ensure private-sector investment (despite early success enough funding is available for maintenance. In in attracting private investors, only one new large addition to investments in rural roads, the country independent power producer has started opera- also needs to improve east-west connectivity, par- tion in Bangladesh in the last decade); (iii) raising ticularly connecting the southwest to Dhaka. current end-user gas prices to parity with prices in neighboring countries and regional benchmarks; Bangladesh can enhance its international com- and (iv) managing the increase in fuel oil use by petitive edge by improving logistics. Chittagong rental power plants and independent power com- port, which handles nearly 85 percent of the coun- panies that has resulted in a nearly three-fold in- try’s merchandise trade, is constrained by labor crease in the average cost of power supply. The problems, poor management and lack of modern World Bank Group is actively engaged in the en- equipment, and is the only major port in South ergy sector through technical assistance in the gas Asia that has not implemented the landlord port sector as well as financing support for generation model. Similarly, railway and road networks con- Bangladesh Country Snapshot 5 necting the ports with hinterland are underdevel- consolidating on strengths in RMG through further oped and beset with logistical problems that im- expansion and moving to higher-value garments, as pose significant costs on firms. Air transport is also well as a gradual diversification into other manu- inefficient, due to congestion and lack of capacity facturing areas such as pharmaceutical products, at the air terminal. The Dhaka-Chittagong corridor non-leather footwear, light-engineering goods, is Bangladesh’s most important trade link, but it is ship-building, information technology, and IT-en- extremely congested and its current performance abled services. The World Bank’s 2013 Diagnostic hinders export growth. Bangladesh stands to ben- Trade Integration Study outlines a four-pronged efit from improved physical connectivity with strategy to enhance the integration of Bangladesh’s India, and an important priority is to remove the economy with regional and global markets: (i) policy constraints to seamless cross-border move- breaking into new markets through better trade lo- ment of cargo. The World Bank is supporting rural gistics and exploitation of regional trading oppor- connectivity in Bangladesh through investments in tunities; (ii) breaking into new products through a rural road across 26 districts. In addition, it plans more neutral and rational trade policy, concerted to finance improvements to the Dhaka-Chittagong efforts to spur private investment, and strategic Inland Waterway, which accounts for 80 percent of development and promotion of services trade; (iii) inland waterway traffic. improving worker and consumer welfare; and (iv) building a more supportive environment for export Regional and Global Integration growth, including strengthening the institutional capacity for strategic policymaking aimed at in- Export-led growth has served Bangladesh well, creasing international competitiveness and bring- and there is potential for further expansion ing focus and coherence to the government’s re- in this crucial area. Bangladesh’s strong success form efforts. Improving the business environment in exports has primarily been based on low-skill, is an important World Bank Group priority in Ban- low-wage-based competitiveness in garments, gladesh. The Bank Group is providing an integrated which dominate the export basket. However, this package of financing and advisory support focused strategy does not guarantee continued growth in on trade policy, trade facilitation and behind-the- exports, given the pressures of global competition border reforms, building on the 2013 trade study. and the possible emergence of future competitors This includes supporting government efforts to with a better wage-productivity combination. The develop economic zones using PPPs, including last- mile infrastructure. example of Vietnam shows the benefits of acceler- ated export-oriented development, moving in the space of 25 years from being one of the poorest Urbanization countries in the world to a lower-middle-income one, with foreign direct investment (FDI) and trade Urban population growth in Bangladesh has playing a dominant role in the economy. Vietnam’s recently been faster than in most other South exports and imports each form 90 percent of GDP, Asian countries, with employment opportunities with exports more than seven times as much per being by far the most important attraction for in- capita as in Bangladesh today. Bangladesh is well coming migrants from rural areas and other small- placed to expand manufacturing exports given its er urban settlements. Export-led growth has been a geographic proximity to two of the world’s most powerful engine for job growth in Bangladesh’s ur- populous countries, as well as other fast-growing ban areas. The “pull effects” of export-sector jobs in economies. In addition, attracting more FDI in the urban areas have also created additional employ- country would help upgrade technology and en- ment opportunities for the poor in construction hance export market linkages, improving upon an and transport, which have been powerful drivers of area where Bangladesh has had only limited suc- poverty reduction. But the adverse consequences cess to date. of rapid urbanization, such as the fast-deteriorat- ing living conditions, are now becoming prominent Bangladesh needs an export-led strategy that and need to be addressed. Estimates by the United builds on existing labor-embedded exports and Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia focuses on diversifying products, skills, and and the Pacific indicate that about 70 percent of the markets. Faster export growth will require both urban population in Bangladesh lives in slums with 6 poor quality housing. In addition, improving urban try, are existential, particularly when they are exac- transport in response to increasing congestion has erbated by climate change. Adaptive delta manage- emerged as a key challenge. Both economic perfor- ment should be integrated in all aspects of planning mance and general livability of urban settlements and sector development—including agricultural has been adversely impacted due to inadequate practices, water supply and sanitation, the place- and poor quality of urban transport infrastruc- ment of energy and transport infrastructure, and ture and services. Developing transport systems the location of public and private infrastructure. requires policy and institutional reforms to ensure better planning and coordination among govern- The government has adopted the Bangladesh ment departments and agencies entrusted with Delta Plan 2100, an integrated and holistic their completion. Institutional development pro- long-term plan to ensure safe living and sound grams are required to re-align institutions to urban economic development in Asia’s largest and transport functions and strengthen their capacity. the world’s most populated delta country. A key aspect of this endeavor will be the adoption of an Improved municipal governance and revenue adaptive delta management approach to enable ro- enhancement will be key to improving pro- bust decisions to be made that affect all aspects of ductivity, livability, and inclusiveness of urban life and livelihood development, based on several settlements. Municipal governments in Bangla- future scenarios. Adaptive delta management will desh are heavily dependent on central government help to ensure that investments in all sectors an- grants, which account for over 85 percent of their ticipate long-term uncertainties in climate change development expenditures. The financial resource and socio-economic growth, and limit over- or for urban development is very limited: less than under-investment. The World Bank, along with 1 percent of GDP is spent on urban infrastructure the Government of Netherlands, is supporting the development. Local governments in Bangladesh government in developing the Delta Plan 2100. The would benefit from greater financial autonomy and WBG support is aligned with the ADM principle, responsibility and a review of the municipal ser- with activities focused on boosting Bangladesh’s vice provision models, especially service provid- resilience to natural disasters, improving the man- ers’ institutional capacity and performance. World agement of water and natural resources and pro- Bank lending operations are supporting munici- moting climate-smart agriculture. palities and local governments to strengthen their institutional capacity and governance with the aim Since nearly half the labor force in Bangladesh of enhancing their public service delivery role. continues to be employed in agriculture, and much of that labor force is poor, delta manage- Adaptive Delta Management (ADM) ment needs to continue to support higher land productivity, crop diversification, and reduced Bangladesh’s major rivers and its long shore- vulnerability. Bangladesh has done well in agri- line on the Bay of Bengal have shaped its com- cultural productivity growth – largely on account parative advantage and determined the loca- of technical change. Key drivers have been liberal- tion, nature, and pace of its development. The ization of input markets, adoption of modern vari- rivers have conferred unquestionable benefits to eties, increasing use of machinery, greater access transport, trade, agriculture, and livelihoods, but to markets and a hike in the price of agricultural also pose significant risk through recurrent floods, products. An important priority for Bangladesh erosion and water pollution. These risks will grow is to shift away from a relatively narrow focus greater with climate change, raising the frequency on staple crop productivity towards meeting the and severity of extreme events. In fact, in 2014 fast-growing demand of Bangladeshis for a more Bangladesh was ranked the most climate-vulnera- diverse, sophisticated, and nutritious diet. There ble country in the world. For Bangladesh, growth is significant potential to further increase produc- will be sustainable only if it accompanied by better tivity and incomes in agriculture while making it resource management and particularly adaptive more climate-resilient and nutrition-sensitive. In delta management. The threats to the Bangladesh addition to increased agricultural productivity and delta, which encompasses two-thirds of the coun- diversification, the main drivers of growth in the Bangladesh Country Snapshot 7 rural non-farm sector will likely remain connectiv- ity and proximity to urban areas. Education While Bangladesh achieved remarkable suc- Financial Sector cess in enhancing access and equity in educa- tion, striving to universalize access for the re- The ability of financial institutions in Bangla- maining hard-to-reach children is an important desh to deliver long-term financing, vital for policy imperative. Notwithstanding Bangladesh’s sectors like energy and transport, has been con- notable achievements in nearing universal access strained. This has inhibited long-term investments to primary education, attaining gender equity at the by households and the ability of firms to invest in primary and secondary education levels well ahead capital upgrading and technology, and expand and of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target grow businesses and jobs at a faster pace. As a con- for 2015, marked reduction in repetition and drop- sequence, private investment in Bangladesh, at 19 out rates, and reasonably high levels of completion percent of GDP, is lower than in India (at 23 per- in primary education, the gross enrollment rates of cent of GDP) or East Asia. To develop a long-term the poor lag those of the non-poor. Out of 10 prima- sustainable financing market will require well- ry students who enter school in Bangladesh, only functioning insurance, pension, and bond markets. about seven or eight students reach grade 5, and In addition, the insurance sector’s weak regulatory only five students reach grade 10. Children living in and supervisory framework needs to be tackled urban slums in particular suffer from both demand to manage risks for a more diverse financial sys- and supply-side constraints. tem. Financing for other underserved market seg- ments also require attention. Funding for small Improving skills and productivity are crucial and medium-sized firms and for farmers remains to Bangladesh’s quest to accelerate economic constrained due to lack of capacity, credit market growth and create more and better jobs in the infrastructure, information asymmetries and risk formal sector for its expanding workforce. En- aversion. suring further improvements in the quality of edu- cation can help propel the economy into the next A sound and stable financial sector is an impor- phase of higher productivity-led growth. Improve- tant prerequisite for Bangladesh to increase its ment in quality of education has a much larger financial intermediation in a sustainable man- impact on economic and social development than ner. State-owned commercial banks (SOCBs) today increases in access without increases in qual- account for a quarter of the banking system’s as- ity. Yet learning achievements continue to be quite sets (compared with three-quarters 20 years ago). low in Bangladesh: a recent assessment of literacy Their sub-optimal performance adversely impacts and numeracy in grade 5 indicates that only 25 overall efficiency of the financial sector and leads and 33 percent of grade 5 students master Bangla to fiscal costs for the government. The SOCBs are and Mathematics competencies, respectively, with constrained by weak corporate governance and students from poor households generally doing poor asset quality, and have been the subject of much worse. Learning inequities begin early, and loan scams and embezzlements. While SOCBs continue throughout students’ lifetimes. Nearly 90 continue to enjoy high public confidence, these percent of the labor force in Bangladesh is informal vulnerabilities could lead to continued costs and and has low levels of education; less than 5 percent inefficiencies. In addition to improving the SOCB’s of the current workforce has tertiary education. corporate governance and financial performance, Due to lack of standards and limited partnerships measures to enhance internal controls, appraisal with the active labor market, technical and voca- systems, and the overall regulatory and supervi- tional education and training and the higher educa- sory capacity of the banking sector will be vital for tion system in Bangladesh are not equipped to re- the sector’s stability. Through financing and advi- spond to changes in demand and quality standards sory services, the World Bank Group is supporting both in the domestic labor market and overseas government efforts to strengthen the foundations where the vast majority of Bangladesh’s emigrant of Bangladesh’s financial system and markets and workers are employed in low-skilled jobs. As the increase financial intermediation. leading development financier in Bangladesh, the 8 WBG is providing financing across all the education donor support, the World Bank is supporting to a sub-sectors, including primary, secondary, tertiary, sector-wide approach (SWAp) in health, designed and vocational training. In addition, the Bank will, to strengthen the government’s health systems and for the first time, support colleges in the areas of improve health services, particularly for the poor. quality, governance, and management. Gender Inclusion Health Despite high levels of poverty, political turmoil Bangladesh has made remarkable progress and frequent natural disasters, Bangladesh on most health outcomes, especially maternal stands out in South Asia with impressive gains and child health, and is on track to achieve the in gender equality. One remarkable achieve- MDG goals 4 (reduce child mortality) and 5 (im- ment has been in girls’ education—though gains prove maternal health). The maternal mortality in health have been equally impressive. Bangla- ratio has declined by 40 percent since 2001, to 194 desh dramatically lowered its fertility rates, from deaths per 100,000 live births in 2010. The under-5 6.1 children per woman in 1971 to about 2.3 chil- child mortality rate has declined by 29 percent dren today.  The gender gap in infant mortality has since 2004, to 53 deaths per 1,000 live births in closed and overall child mortality rates have rapid- 2011. These achievements are the result of health ly come down, due to good immunization coverage, policies related to immunization, oral rehydration diarrhea control and water and sanitation facilities. salt therapy, and family planning, and can also be Bangladesh also shows progress in the more stub- attributed to non-health policies and interventions, born area of maternal mortality. One of the most such as the increase in female literacy, access to mi- dramatic transformations in the past decade has crocredit, access to safe drinking water, and rural been women’s enhanced role in the economy. The infrastructure development. female labor force participation rate has increased However, health outcome gaps vary consider- rapidly since 2003 and is expected to rise further ably by income group, and the health system in the coming years due to ongoing socioeconomic now faces new challenges due to rapid urban- transformation at home and increased demand for ization, shifts in the burden of disease, and labor intensive goods from abroad. Female employ- climate change. For example, the percentage of ment has been particularly robust in some sectors, children who are stunted among the poorest quin- including in the garment industry and public ser- tile (above 50 percent) is much higher than the vice sector (teaching and health care).  Quotas that national average. Moreover, health outcomes for were established for women in local governments the poor in Dhaka are worse than they are for the in 1990s have transformed power relations at the rural poor, especially among those living in urban local level, as female elected leaders have grown in slums. Changing patterns of employment also pose experience. new challenges—for instance, the RMG work envi- ronment exposes workers to health hazards that But a number of challenges remain: early mar- may result in injuries, respiratory diseases and riage of young girls, especially among the poor, other ailments. Communicable diseases such as re- poses a significant constraint to increasing fe- spiratory infections and tuberculosis were among male labor force participation. Early marriage the predominant causes of death in the country in also leads to early motherhood, resulting in a vi- 2010. However, Bangladesh is undergoing a rapid cious cycle of poor families having children with demographic and epidemiological transition, with poor health and education outcomes, and further an increasing adult and elderly population and the impoverishment. Where possible, the Bank is inte- associated increase in chronic or non-communica- grating gender sensitive designs in its operations to ble diseases, including injuries. Against this back- ensure women benefit from targeted interventions, drop, total public and private health expenditure, particularly in public service delivery. In addition, a as a share of GDP, is one of the lowest in the region. gender and social inclusion report is under prepa- Bangladesh spent 3.5 percent of its GDP on health in ration that will survey the status of women and in- 2012, much lower than the average for low-income form the design of future lending and knowledge countries (5 percent). Complemented by strong activities.  Bangladesh Country Snapshot 9 THE WORLD BANK PROGRAM to poor mothers with young children; promoting rural livelihoods for extremely poor and vulnerable IN BANGLADESH households; supporting agricultural innovation; building urban readiness for earthquake disasters; and bringing longer-term financing to private-sec- Bangladesh joined the International Develop- tor, export-oriented firms. ment Association (IDA) in 1972, one year after the country’s independence. IDA has consistently been the most significant development partner in Contribution to Annual GDP Growth volume terms, providing more than $18.9 billion in support for policy reforms and investment proj- ects in Bangladesh and accounting for more than one-quarter of all foreign aid to the country dur- Infraestructure ing this period. Under the IDA17 cycle, which spans 40% FY2015-2017, Bangladesh is the largest recipient of IDA resources, with an indicative total allocation Social Inclusion/ Human of about SDR 2.8 billion ($3.9 billion equivalent) or Development Sustain Dev. 36% 9% 9 percent of all IDA17 resources. Private Governance A new Country Partnership Framework (CPF) Sector/ 10% is to be delivered in FY2016. It will prioritize Finance 5% Bank support to address priority policy areas identified in the Systematic Country Diagnostic: (i) five transformational priorities, which are criti- cal for accelerating Bangladesh’s progress towards Portfolio performance is generally satisfactory, the twin goals (energy; inland connectivity and lo- with about 80 percent of projects greater than gistics; regional and global integration; urbaniza- $5 million rated in the satisfactory range. Dis- tion; and adaptive delta management), as well as: bursements reached some $950 million, with a dis- (ii) foundational priorities, which are important bursement ratio of 20 percent by the end of June prerequisites for sustained growth (macroeconom- 2015. ic stability; human development; and institutions and business environment). The CPF is aligned IDA and the International Finance Corporation with the government’s planning cycle and will sup- (IFC) are collaborating in both advisory servic- port select national priorities identified in the 7th es and investment finance. Joint advice has been Five Year Plan for FY2016-2020. concentrated on economic zones, export-process- ing zones, banking-sector reforms and tax mod- The current IDA portfolio consists of 36 proj- ernization. IFC and IDA are also actively engaged ects, for a total commitment of $8.34 billion in supporting efforts to attract foreign investors (end June 2015). The recipient-executed Trust relocating from China, with the goal of drawing 15 Fund (TF) portfolio consists of 24 grants (13 of million jobs to Bangladesh. which are stand-alone and 11 co-finance IDA oper- ations) for a total TF commitment of $516 million. The IDA and TF portfolio is concentrated in human Advisory Services and Analytics development (36 percent) and infrastructure (40 percent) interventions, with the remaining 24 per- The World Bank is regarded as a source of high cent divided among private sector, governance, and quality analysis on key development themes. In sustainable development. the past year, key outputs included a Country Di- agnostic paper, public expenditure update, energy- Seven projects with a commitment value of $1.9 sector analysis, and a report on climate change im- billion were approved in FY2015. The projects pacts and adaptation.  focused on: scaling up support for primary educa- tion; expanding cyclone shelter coverage in vulner- • Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD, July able zones; providing income/nutritional support 2015). This desk review synthesizes infor- 10 mation from a number of reports and consul- issues related to supply and demand (long- tations with local experts and identifies the term power options, strategy for expansion of creation of more and better jobs as the key power-generation capacity, dispatch efficiency, challenge for eliminating poverty and boosting revenue requirements for financial sustain- shared prosperity in Bangladesh. Jobs remain a ability and implications for tariffs, economy- critical concern in the country: the labor force wide impact of tariff increases, and potential is growing by 3.1 percent per annum—1.3 gains from energy efficiency); (ii) gas-sector times the South Asian average and 1.7 times status and potential (supply and pricing is- the global average—and 21 million people are sues, enhancing exploration by improving the projected to enter the working-age population competitiveness of Bangladesh’s production- over the next decade. To address this challenge, sharing contracts); and (iii) the institutional the SCD classifies priority areas of action into and governance framework for the sector.  In two categories: the first is foundational priori- addition, analysis is underway to characterize ties, which are important prerequisites for sus- energy poverty in Bangladesh and to evaluate tained growth; and the second is transforma- the welfare impact of rural electrification/ac- tional priorities, which consist of five key areas cess and improved reliability of transmission. (energy; inland connectivity and logistics; • Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation. regional and global integration; “livable” ur- The Bank has completed a number of studies banization; and adaptive delta management). this past year with support from the Bangla- Action on both these priority areas over the desh Climate Change Resilience Fund, includ- next three to five years could significantly ac- ing: (i) “Urban Flooding of Greater Dhaka Area celerate Bangladesh’s progress towards elimi- in Changing Climate: Vulnerability, Adaptation nating poverty and boosting prosperity for the and Potential Costs”, which analyzed the capac- poorest. ity of the Dhaka metropolitan area to address • Public Expenditure Review Update (June current climate variability, predicted climate 2015) found that contingent liabilities con- change–induced flooding and waterlogging, tinue to pose fiscal sustainability risks and that forecast changes in the depth and duration of large and regular adjustments between the location-specific waterlogging, and estimated original and revised development budget con- potential damage. It also aimed to identify tinue to be an issue. New trends have become adaptation options and define key policy pri- more prominent including: (i) growing interest orities for decision makers in dealing with the costs, which now absorb a quarter of recurrent impacts of climate change; (ii) “Making Cli- expenditures and dwarf spending on health or mate Data Relevant to Decision Making in Ban- social welfare; (ii) large subsidies, particularly gladesh: Spatial and Temporal Downscaling,” toward agriculture and energy, which  may be which produced downscaled general circula- inefficient in terms of targeting the poor and tion models projections for temperature and achieving increased (agricultural) output; precipitation for Bangladesh on a spatial grid and (iii) an apparent disconnect regarding of 0.5° in latitude by 0.5° of longitude (approxi- the maintenance budget, which has remained mately 50 by 50 kilometers) for the time peri- flat in real terms for a decade despite the ex- ods 1961–1999, 2046–2065, and 2071–2100. panding infrastructure base. Deeper analysis is In addition, as Bangladesh is highly vulnerable required in a number of areas including pen- to climate change, the Bank has also been pro- sions, the cost and distribution of tax expendi- viding non-lending technical assistance related tures, the efficiency of subsidies, how to con- to soil and river salinity levels, which are ex- tain interest costs,  and the links between the pected to increase over the next 35 years. investment and maintenance budgets. • Delta Management 2100: The Bangladesh • Energy Sector Analytical Program consists Delta, a mega-delta, is Asia’s largest and the of a series of papers addressing issues related world’s most populated delta. In June 2015, to the power and upstream fuels (gas) sectors the Bank entered into a tripartite partnership in Bangladesh. The work is ongoing and is con- with the Governments of Bangladesh and the centrated in three main clusters of inquiry: (i) Netherlands (“Towards Resilient and Sus- Bangladesh Country Snapshot 11 tainable Delta Management for a Prosperous IFC presently has 20 investment clients with Bangladesh”) to facilitate the preparation and a committed portfolio of approximately $800 implementation of the Bangladesh Delta Plan million (of which financial institutions  repre- 2100 (BDP 2100). The BDP 2100 aims to cre- sent 56 percent, telcoms 30 percent, agribusi- ate a long-term vision for delta management, ness 4 percent, and textiles 3 percent). Until prepare for different scenarios and responses, 2013, IFC investments averaged $100 million a identify and organize government institutions year. Last year, IFC committed $747 million, includ- to address challenges, and create and facilitate ing mobilization, with a goal of approximately $1 a long-term investment program bolstered by billion a year by 2015. private- sector participation and development partners. Currently, the Bank, in cooperation with the IFC/2030 Water Resource Group, is KEY HIGHLIGHTS working on assessing opportunities to trans- form its long-term engagement based on the • IFC portfolio grown eight times in past delta principles of “anticipation”, “adequacy”, five years to approximately $800 million “flexibility” and “concerted action” and help to in disbursed and outstanding invest- spur the pathway to an adaptive management ments, loans, equity and guarantees. of the Bangladesh Delta. • IFC financing over 1,000 MW of base power supply. INTERNATIONAL FINANCE • IFC financing an offshore LNG terminal CORPORATION (IFC) that will increase country’s gas supply 25-30 percent. IFC in Bangladesh focuses on sustainable private- • IFC facilitating regional discussions with sector development by providing financing and Nepal and Bhutan (and hopefully Myan- offering advisory support, including facilitating mar) as well as India to further regional improvements in doing business and promoting power trade. competitiveness of small and medium enterprises • IFC financing up to $300 million in do- (SMEs). IFC draws on its global and local experi- mestic power transmission improve- ence and provides a combination of investments ments. and advisory services to its clients in the country. IFC has a large Advisory Services program in i. Energy and Infrastructure Bangladesh, with approximately $13 million a year in funding provided by the UK Government, IFC has had significant engagement, progress, the European Union (EU), the Danish, the Dutch and results in the energy and infrastructure and other donor financiers. IFC works in areas that space during the 2011-2015 Country Assistance are important for the Bangladesh economy, such as Strategy period. While the results were seen agriculture, infrastructure, financial markets, and more recently in the last couple of fiscal years, energy efficiency. IFC has had a sustained effort and engagement over the last three to four years. IFC has had a The Bangladesh Water Partnership for Cleaner strong pipeline of power-generation projects. It Textile is a program that aims to enhance the long- has already committed to two power projects for term competitiveness (global license to operate) 450 MW and in the coming months expects to and environmental sustainability of the textile commit to two more for an additional 595 MW. wet processing sector in Bangladesh by working All of these projects are gas-fired. IFC has also in partnership with buyers to support factories in begun to engage with the government as well as specific geographic clusters to reduce their water the private sector on renewable energy power footprint. The program directly supports factories generation projects, particularly in utility-scale in setting and achieving cleaner production objec- solar power. IFC is also mandated by PowerGrid tives.  Bangladesh, the state-owned power transmis- sion monopoly, to provide and arrange $300 12 million in financing to meet various corporate equity fund, the first ever foreign direct invest- capital expenditures to expand and strengthen ment in the insurance sector, and the first mo- the grid. With Bangladesh’s domestic gas re- bile payment platform. IFC provides debt, eq- sources currently being limited, IFC has a two- uity, and guarantee products in sectors such as pronged approach to support greater supply financial markets, infrastructure, agribusiness, of natural gas to Bangladesh by: (i) supporting and manufacturing, and in companies that gen- upstream gas companies; and (ii) arranging for erate employment, fuel growth, and spur inno- LNG regasification infrastructure to supplement vation. domestic gas supply with imported LNG. IFC is working on two LNG regasification projects, one Improving business environment: IFC part- offshore with Excelerate Energy and the other ners with different government agencies to car- onshore in collaboration with the Power Divi- ry out transformative reforms that help create sion of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Min- an enabling business environment for domes- eral Resources. Each of these LNG projects, once tic and foreign enterprises. In keeping with the completed, will have the capacity to re-gasify government’s agenda for a “Digital Bangladesh,” sufficient gas for 3,000 MW of power genera- IFC’s projects promote efficiency and transpar- ency in public-sector agencies through e-gov- tion. Both of these LNG initiatives are currently ernance, for example, establishing the online being carried out through IFC InfraVentures. tax payment portal, and automating registra- IFC has also facilitated memorandums of un- tion process of businesses. As a result of IFC’s derstanding between private hydro developers efforts, Bangladesh has leaped ahead 21 places in Nepal and the Government of Bangladesh for from the previous year in the ease of starting the purchase of hydropower from Nepal that a business ranking of Doing Business Report will be wheeled through India to Bangladesh. 2014. IFC has also supported the adoption of al- ternative dispute mechanisms (arbitration and Lighting Asia Bangladesh, a joint initiative of mediation) in Bangladesh to relieve pressure on IFC and Germany’s GIZ, aims to provide access the court system and accelerate appeals proce- to lighting in off-grid areas by catalyzing the pri- dures. It has also helped form Business Initia- vate-sector-driven Pico PV systems market in tive Leading Development (BUILD), which is a Bangladesh. The objective of this effort is to pro- platform for public-private dialogue, with sup- vide cleaner, safer, and better lighting options to port from key private-sector agencies. Respond- the approximately 70 million off-grid and 60 ing to BUILD’s recommendations, the govern- million grid-connected households across Ban- ment has carried out 24 business reforms to gladesh. The off-grid and underserved commu- date. In order to strengthen the capacity of the nities are meeting their lighting needs by burn- bureaucracy, IFC has helped introduce both the ing fossil fuels like kerosene and diesel that are Regulatory Impact Assessment, which will help inefficient, uneconomical, unhealthy, environ- review the impact of new laws and regulations, mentally damaging, and dangerous. and business process re-engineering, which will deal with the measures in issuing licenses and IFC has also been active in the telecom space, permits under any law. having committed $345 million in financing for Grameenphone in FY2012. It is currently work- In the past year, IFC has also initiated interven- ing with other operators, such as Robi Axiata, tions in the agribusiness sector by partnering and a commitment is expected in the coming with the Ministry of Agriculture. Under this months. initiative, several policies and acts will be re- viewed and updated to improve the seed indus- ii. Expanding the Availability and Affordability try, upgrade food safety standards, and attract of Finance both domestic and foreign investment. Since 1990, IFC has been involved as an equity iii. Promoting Sustainability in Agriculture investor to Bangladesh’s first leasing company, first mortgage finance company, first indepen- Bangladesh has been identified as one of the dent power project, first SME bank, first private most vulnerable countries to climate change Bangladesh Country Snapshot 13 threats. To help ensure food security and climate to identify innovative ways to further help the change adaptation, IFC is working with partners RMG sector improve worker safety. While audits and farmers in the seeds sector, supporting cli- and supervision are important to ensure envi- mate-resistant agriculture. In the poultry sec- ronmental and social compliance, IFC sees a real tor, IFC helps farmers convert poultry waste to need to assist suppliers on two main fronts: pro- electricity, creating an alternative energy source viding them with affordable sources of financ- for farms. IFC also trains farmers in farm man- ing, which can be invested in factory upgrades; agement to improve their competitiveness and and creating the right financial incentives to en- access to finance. A leading Bangladesh agricul- courage them to make such investments. ture company was the first in the private sector to use the IFC-managed Global Agriculture and In an effort to address these gaps, IFC partnered Food Security facility. with international apparel brands to roll out a new kind of supplier financing product. For the iv. Promoting Clean Growth very first time, IFC is offering a direct financial incentive to improve environmental and social To reduce environmental degradation and en- standards in the RMG industry through IFC’s sure sustainability, IFC is promoting cleaner $500 million Global Trade Supplier Finance production and resource efficiency in the tex- program. IFC offers lower interest rates to sup- tiles and apparel sector. The first phase of a pliers who score better under a sophisticated cleaner production project with 18 factories in evaluation system for labor, health, safety, and Bangladesh led to savings of $2 million and 1.26 environmental performance. Specifically, the million liters of water through resource efficien- program will work on a sliding scale. As sup- cy measures. Estimates show that if the indus- pliers improve their environmental and social try’s 1,700 textile wet-processing units adopt performance against the evaluation system, cleaner production measures, they can save up they will be rewarded with lower interest rates to $70 million and 10.5 billion liters of water a on this working-capital-type product provided year – important savings in a country where 31 by IFC. In a nutshell, the higher the supplier’s million people do not have access to clean water. evaluation score, the more they will save. This v. RMG Worker Safety partnership with brands represents a win-win solution for all parties involved, including inter- Investment: The Bangladesh RMG sector (rep- national buyers who have been under increas- resenting 78 percent of overall national exports ing pressure to improve safety and working and 15 percent of GDP) has been facing in- conditions in their supply chains. creased scrutiny by different stakeholders fol- lowing the tragic RMG factories incidents. IFC In addition, IFC has been spearheading a num- has established a comprehensive sectorial pro- ber of partnerships to make transformational gram of up to $50 million for five years, which is changes in the garment sector’s supply chain. the first long-term funding by IFC for the banks in Bangladesh. IFC is to provide long-term fund- In November 2013, IFC and the International ing to five local partner banks, which is to be Labour Organization (ILO) launched the Bet- exclusively used for on-lending to RMG facto- ter Work Bangladesh program. The objective of ries to strengthen safety infrastructure. This the program is to provide assessments of fac- program is a perquisite for helping Bangladesh tory compliance with national law and interna- to maintain global market position and save in- tional core labor standards, publish transpar- valuable human lives. This program expected to ent public reporting on findings, and provide be a testament to IFC’s ability to find a private- advisory support for factories to make neces- sector-driven, sustainable-funding solution to a sary improvements. The program was launched need that is a national priority. following an 18-month collaboration with the government to implement changes to the na- Advisory: Factory disasters that hit Bangla- tional labor law and develop the government’s desh in 2012 and 2013 have prompted IFC to Framework for Continuous Improvement. This combine its advisory and investment expertize partnership between government, employers, 14 unions, buyers, and other industry stakeholders international trade transaction undertaken by will focus on promoting sustainable change in Bangladeshi commercial banks. GTFP’s aim is the sector by helping factories address working to promote foreign trade and it offers a range of conditions, and to build factory-level capacity solutions that will facilitate foreign trade. GTFP for labor administration and worker-manage- plays an important role as foreign counterparts ment relations. remain cautious about taking exposures on Ban- gladesh. More than $1.3 billion of trade flow has In December 2014, IFC partnered with VF Corp been supported under GTFP in the last decade. -- a global apparel and footwear powerhouse -- to establish a $10 million corporate guarantee The WCSS facility meets the needs of SME ex- to finance factory upgrades to improve building porters that require US dollar working capital and fire safety. This mechanism helps VF Corp to import capital machinery and raw material. suppliers access low-cost loans facilitated by The WCSS program was originally launched IFC and backed by a corporate guarantee from with three portfolio clients (BRAC Bank, East- VF Corp. The loans must be used to remedy is- ern Bank and Southeast Bank) for a total of $80 sues highlighted in the corrective action plans million. In the last five years, through the WCSS from the Alliance building and fire safety in- facility, IFC has been able to support over $350 spections to improve worker safety in supplier million in access to finance to SMEs. factories. The banks will on-lend to factories to make the MULTILATERAL INVESTMENT necessary fire and electrical safety upgrades identified in the Accord and Alliance corrective GUARANTEE AGENCY (MIGA) action plans. With this facility, IFC will play a key MIGA’s current portfolio in Bangladesh con- role in addressing RMG workers safety by pro- sists of one active project with a total guarantee viding low-cost, longer-term financing to a wide amount of $251 million. It was approved in 2012 range of factories through local banks.. to support a financing package arranged by HSBC vi. Trade Finance of the United Kingdom to Ashuganj Power Sta- tion Company Limited, a state-owned utility. The Global Trade Finance Products (GTFP) and financing is for the construction of the 450-MW Working Capital Systemic Solution (WCSS) pro- combined-cycle gas-fired Ashuganj South power grams have been running successfully in Ban- plant, which is expected to provide nearly 12,000 gladesh for many years. households with electricity. MIGA’s contribution will provide coverage against the risk that sover- Through GTFP, IFC provides guarantees, tak- eign financial obligations will not be honored, for a ing political and commercial payment risk of period of up to 13.5 years. Bangladesh Country Snapshot 15 CLEAN AIR AND SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT (CASE) PROJECT KEY DATA: Approved: May 12, 2009 Effective: Aug 19, 2009 Closing: Dec 15, 2016 FINANCING ($ MILLION) Financier Financing Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 62.2a 55% 45% GoB 9 Total cost 71.2 a Indicates the amount at signing (equivalent to SDR 42.2 million at signing). PROJECT BACKGROUND: Brick fields expel into the air more than 9.8 million tons of greenhouse gases annually, due to a combination of old technology, weak environmental legislation and enforcement, and a lack of corporate responsibility. Meanwhile, growing numbers of motorized vehicles are clogging up roads and contribute further to poor air quality. Brick kilns and motor vehicles contribute up to 60 percent of fine particulate pollution in Dhaka during the dry season. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: The Clean Air and Sustainable Environment (CASE) Project aims to improve air quality and safe mobility in Dhaka through the implementation of demonstration initiatives in urban transport and brick-making. CASE components include: ■■ Encouraging the adoption of cleaner and more energy-efficient brick manufacturing technologies such as converting to improved kiln alternatives and launching 12 demonstration projects. The project also encourages research into alternatives to bricks such as micro-concrete, while helping the government strengthen environmental laws and providing support for the newly established Air Quality Management section responsible for air quality monitoring, data analysis, and reporting. ■■ Promoting safe pedestrian mobility in Dhaka by rehabilitating and improving sidewalks with drainage, constructing foot bridges; improving traffic management by upgrading intersections, installing traffic signals and training police in enforcing them; supporting studies for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Line 3. RESULTS: ■■ Installation of 11 Continuous Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAMS) in eight cities to monitor major air pollutants and generate real-time air quality data. ■■ Completion of eight clean and energy-efficient brick kiln pilots, with another two underway. ■■ Air Quality Index (AQI) regularly published in project website (www.case-moef.gov.bd). ■■ Brick Manufacturing and Kiln Construction Control Act approved in 2013 and the relevant rules at the final stage of preparation. ■■ Completion of 60 kilometers of sidewalk and road improvement, and 35 intersection improvements. ■■ Construction of 19 footbridges, with four others being built. ■■ Installation of 62 traffic signals connected with solar panel and battery. ■■ Designing of BRT Line 3 underway. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Ministry of Environment and Forest, Department of Environment, Dhaka South and North City Corporations, and Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority. KEY PARTNERS: Not applicable. 16 CLIMATE CHANGE RESILIENCE FUND (BCCRF) KEY DATA: $184 million Multi-Donor Trust Fund. Established May 31, 2010. End disbursement June 30, 2017. FINANCING Recipient executed projects (Active): Approval Closing Multipurpose Cyclone Shelter Construction Aug, 2011 Dec 31, 2015 Community Climate Change July 2012 Dec 31, 2016 Solar Irrigation Sept, 2012 Dec 31, 2016 Climate-Resilient Participatory Afforestation and Reforestation Feb. 2013 Dec 31, 2016 BACKGROUND: Bangladesh is one of the countries most vulnerable to the potential impacts of climate change. To address this challenge, Bangladesh launched its Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) in 2009 to build a medium- to long-term program for enhancing resilience to climate shocks and facilitating low carbon and sustainable growth. To support implementation of the BCCSAP, seven development partners established the Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund (BCCRF) in 2010, with the World Bank acting as trust fund administrator. About $130 million has been received to date. The fund will close in June 2017. FUND OBJECTIVE: The objective of the BCCRF is to support implementation of the BCCSAP, a 10 -year program (2009-2018) aimed at building the capacity and resilience of the country to meet the challenge of climate change. Sectoral ministries are implementing four investment projects: (i) cyclone shelters ($25 million); (ii) solar irrigation ($10 million); (iii) afforestation ($33.8 million); and (iv) community climate change ($12.5 million). A number of studies on climate change have also been undertaken. EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ 61 new multipurpose cyclone shelters built in climate-vulnerable areas. ■■ 45,000 farmers provided with access to clean energy services for irrigation pumping. ■■ 17,000 hectares of land reforested or afforested. ■■ 40,000 climate vulnerable people receive resilient investments/advice to build climate adaptive capacity. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: ■■ Local Government Engineering Department – Multipurpose Cyclone Shelter ■■ Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation – Community Climate Change Project ■■ Infrastructure Development Company Limited – Solar Irrigation ■■ Department of Forestry –Afforestation and Reforestation KEY PARTNERS: U.K. Department for International Development, European Union, Sweden, Australia, Denmark, Switzerland, United States. Bangladesh Country Snapshot 17 COASTAL EMBANKMENT IMPROVEMENT PROJECT-PHASE 1 KEY DATA: Approved: June 26, 2013 Effective: Nov 24, 2013 Closing: Dec 31, 2020 FINANCING ($ MILLION): Financier Financing* Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 375 2% 98% GoB CIF 25 0% 100% Total cost 400 PROJECT BACKGROUND: Bangladesh’s coastal zone spans over 580 kilometers and includes territory where 28 percent of the population resides. A higher percentage of the population lives below the absolute poverty line in the coastal area than in the rest of the country. A recent World Bank study on the cost of adapting to extreme weather estimated that eight million people are currently vulnerable to inundation depths greater than three meters due to cyclonic storm surges. This number will increase to 13.5 million people by 2050. There is an urgent need to rehabilitate and upgrade protection polders – areas of low-lying land - and enhance the resilience of coastal areas to cyclones, tidal and flood inundations, and salinity intrusion. The Coastal Embankment Improvement Project-Phase 1 (CEIP1) was approved in June 2013 and has been effective since November 2013. The main design and supervision firm are in place, the tender for the construction of the first phase of polder investments has been evaluated and works implementation is expected to start by the upcoming dry season (November 2015). The bid documentation for the construction of the second phase of polder construction is currently being prepared and is expected to be advertised by the end of 2015. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: CEIP1 aims to: (i) increase the area protected in selected polders from tidal flooding and storm surges, which are expected to worsen due to climate change; (ii) improve agricultural production by reducing saline water intrusion in selected polders; and (iii) improve the government’s capacity to respond promptly and effectively to a crisis or emergency. It calls for upgrading Bangladesh’s embankment system by increasing the area in polders protected from tidal flooding and frequent storm surges. This would provide direct protection to those living within the polder boundaries and enhance the resilience of coastal areas to cyclones, tidal and flood inundations, and salinity intrusion. This, in turn, will enhance people’s livelihoods through increased agricultural production during normal weather as well as reduced loss of life, assets, crops, and livestock in the event of a disaster. EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ Rehabilitation of 17 polders in six coastal districts: Bagerhat, Khulna, Satkhira, Barguna, Patuakhali, and Pirojpur. ■■ Improved protection for 760,000 people living within polder boundaries. ■■ Poverty reduction and stimulated economic development from facilitating the growth of farm and non-farm activities in the coastal area. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Bangladesh Water Development Board. KEY PARTNERS: Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (a fund within the Climate Investment Fund Framework). 18 WATER SUPPLY IMPROVEMENT AND SANITATION PROJECT KEY DATA: Approved: June 23, 2010 Effective: Oct 25, 2010 Closing: Dec 31, 2018 FINANCING ($ MILLION): Financier Financing* Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 157.8 15% 85% GoB 16.7 Total cost 174.5 *Project restructuring included cancellation of $14.5 million of IDA credit PROJECT BACKGROUND: Chittagong, Bangladesh’s second-largest city, suffers from inadequate water production and sewerage systems. The port city’s water production capacity is only 40 percent of the estimated demand, and the pipe network is run down. A large percentage of the city continues to access water through shallow tube wells. The quality of this underground water is questionable, with high salt and iron levels posing health risks to the public. In addition, very little investment has been made into sanitation and storm water drainage since the late 1980s. Chittagong still does not have a water-borne sewage system or effective storm-water drainage service. The Chittagong Water Supply and Sanitation Authority (CWASA) lacks both the capacity and finance to establish these systems. The Bank helped CWASA develop its institutional capacity development program launched in June 2012. The Chittagong Water Supply Improvement and Sanitation Project was restructured in February 2014 following the mid-term review held in December 2013. This included a small cancellation and a reduction in the scope of investment activities. In June 2015, the project was restructured a second time to extend the closing date of the project to December 31, 2018. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: The project aims to increase access to safe water and improve CWASA’s institutional capacity and investment planning for sanitation and drainage in Chittagong. It supports major interventions in treated water production, transmission and distribution including the construction of a water treatment plant in CWASA’s development plan and the rehabilitation and extension of the water distribution system. The support includes studies to update the sewerage master plans and drainage master plans for Chittagong, as well as capacity building at operational levels to improve the efficiency of overall service delivery Project performance is primarily driven by major works packages that account for about 80 percent of the restructured project. ACHIEVED AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ Contract awarded for Kalurghat Booster Station, Modunaghat Water Treatment Plant, distribution and transmission mains. ■■ Contracts for all key technical assistance activities, including for the sanitation and drainage master planning and for utility modernization, have been signed and are advancing well. ■■ 100 percent of all project funds are now committed. ■■ Water now available in five low-income communities. ■■ 150,000 people with access to improved water sources. ■■ Cover 85 percent of CWASA’s operation and maintenance cost from direct water sales revenue. ■■ Prepare $150 million of priority sanitation and drainage investments for financing. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: CWASA. KEY PARTNERS: CWASA. Bangladesh Country Snapshot 19 DISABILITY AND CHILDREN-AT-RISK PROJECT KEY DATA: Approved: July 1, 2008 Effective: Jan 22, 2009 Closing: June 30, 2016 FINANCING (US$ MILLION): Financier Financing Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 17.2 41% 59% GoB Total cost 17.2 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The Government of Bangladesh implements numerous programs to address vulnerability and poverty, including safety nets, social care services, and microfinance, among others. However, several particularly marginalized groups remain excluded from the coverage of such interventions. Prominent among such groups are persons-with-disabilities (PWDs) and children-at-risk. Lack of access to services results in PWDs being excluded from broader social and economic participation, with negative impacts on family livelihoods and productivity. The costs of reversing the effects of negative human development outcomes later in life far outweigh the costs of providing quality social care to young children at an early stage, particularly for the poor and vulnerable. The Disability and Children-At-Risk Project (DCAR) was originally approved in 2008 with the objective of expanding the coverage, use, and quality of social care services for persons with disabilities and children at risk as a means of promoting equity and social inclusion. However, in 2009, shifting priorities at the Ministry of Social Welfare (MoSW) necessitated a significant restructuring of the project. This restructuring was driven by a policy decision to strengthen and scale up public social welfare institutions and service delivery systems, as well as on the implementation arrangements. Since the original change in design, the project has been restructured two more times (2013 and 2015) to cancel 43 percent of the originally committed amount due to the design changes as well as slow implementation progress, and to extend the original closing date. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: DCAR aims to expand coverage and improve the quality of services for PWDs and children at risk by strengthening and scaling up government service delivery systems. The project comprises two components: Component 1: Strengthening Disability Services: This component provides support to the Jatiyo Protibondhi Unnayan Foundation (JPUF) in expanding the coverage of its Disability Service Centers (DSCs) providing upgrades to technical facilities, financing diagnostic and therapeutic interventions and assistive devices for PWDs, providing training for service providers and relevant stakeholders, and establishing outreach services to cater to PWDs in remote rural areas of the country. Component 2: Strengthening Children-At-Risk Services and Social Welfare Program Administration. This component provides support to the Department of Social Services (DSS) in establishing and operating Integrated Child Projection Service Centers (ICPSCs), including crisis management, psychosocial counseling, and re- integration services for children-at-risk, as well as providing training for service providers and relevant stakeholders. This component is also financing the development of a management information system to administer major programs implemented by MoSW. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS: ■■ Establishment of 50 DSCs (using project financing) providing services to 30,000 PWDs in addition to 53 government-financed DSCs catering to 98,000 PWDs. Female clients make up 44 percent of overall coverage (data as of June 2015). ■■ Establishment of 11 ICPSCs providing services to 3,200 children-at-risk. Female children make up half of overall coverage (data as of December 2014). ■■ Procurement of 20 mobile rehabilitation vans to extend disability services to remote rural locations. ■■ Ongoing development of a management information system to administer DSCs, ICPSCs, and major programs implemented by MoSW. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: ■■ JPUF (Component 1) ■■ DSS (Component 2) 20 DHAKA WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION PROJECT KEY DATA: Approved: Dec 2, 2008 Effective: Mar 17, 2009 Original Closing: June 30, 2013 Rev. Closing: Dec 31, 2015 FINANCING ($ MILLION): Financier Financing* Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 83.09 54% 46% GoB 16.7 Total cost 99.79 *Project restructuring included cancellation of $65.34 million of IDA credit and extension of the closing date to Dec. 31, 2015 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Dhaka’s growing population of 15 million is placing serious strains on the city’s ability to provide basic water, sanitation, and drainage services. Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (DWASA) provides water services to about 70 percent of the population of Dhaka City. However, the quality of these services is inadequate and uneven. In some areas (especially slum areas), services are non-existent. The existing sewerage network covers only about 30 percent of the city area. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: The Dhaka Water Supply and Sanitation project aims to improve storm-water drainage in select catchments in Dhaka, and to improve DWASA’s planning capacity. It supports the ongoing rehabilitation work in parts of the Khilgaon-Basabo, Abdullahpur, Shutivola, Shahjadpur, Baunia, Digun, Mohakhali and Gerani canals in a bid to improve storm-water drainage and minimize urban flooding, particularly in the eastern part of Dhaka. In addition, it supports the construction of two storm- water pumping stations. The project also has completed preparation of the Dhaka sewerage master plan, drainage master plan, and low-income customers service improvement plan, as part of the initiative to improve DWASA’s planning capacity. The sewerage master planning has led to the identification of key future wastewater collection and treatment investments in the city. Engineering designs and corresponding bidding documents for $45 million of priority sewerage and wastewater treatment interventions also have been prepared, with work continuing on other steps for institutional strengthening of DWASA. RESULTS: ■■ Rampura pumping station was commissioned in August 2015. ■■ Kamlapur pumping station is nearing completion and will be commissioned by November 2015. ■■ Improved drainage facilities are benefiting three million of the targeted four million people. ■■ Permanent storm-water pumping capacity has increased by 25 cubic meters, and is expected to reach the 40 cubic meters target by project closing. ■■ The capacity of rehabilitated drainage canals has increased by 150 cubic meters, more than half the target of 250. ■■ All four master plans have been prepared. The sewerage master plan has been approved by the board. Drainage master plan, the low-income customer’s service improvement plan, and the organizational restructuring action plan will be approved by DWASA’s board by project closing. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: IF RELEVANT DWASA. KEY PARTNERS: Not applicable. Bangladesh Country Snapshot 21 EMERGENCY 2007 CYCLONE RECOVERY AND RESTORATION PROJECT KEY DATA: Approved: November 06, 2008 Effective: December 24, 2008 Closing: December 31, 2017 FINANCING ($ MILLION): Financier Financing Disbursed Undisbursed IDA 324 56% 44% GoB BCCRF 25 80.7% 19.3% GFDDR 3 100.0% - KfW Parallel Fin. 4.86 100.0% - Total Project Cost 356.86 59% 41% PROJECT BACKGROUND: On November 15, 2007, Cyclone Sidr made landfall across the southern coast of Bangladesh, causing extensive damage to lives and property. Overall, around 30 districts and nine million people were affected by the storm. Total damage and losses caused by 2007 Cyclone Sidr were estimated about $1.7 billion. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: The objective is to support government efforts to facilitate restoration and recovery from the damage to livelihoods and infrastructure caused by Cyclones Sidr in 2007 and Aila in 2009, and build long-term preparedness through strengthened disaster risk reduction and management. The project has six components: (i) restoration of the agriculture sector in Sidr/Aila-affected areas; (ii) improvement of existing multipurpose shelters and construction of new disaster shelters; (iii) rehabilitation of coastal embankments; (iv) strengthening the capacity of the government’s disaster risk reduction management; (v) monitoring and evaluation to ensure effective implementation of the sub-projects; and (vi) a project management component to support the government in coordinating all project-related activities, strategic studies for the preparation of future operations for the long-term disaster risk reduction program, and technical assistance and training, as well as providing emergency support for future disasters during implementation. RESULTS: ■■ Activities to restore the agriculture sector (under the first component of the project) were completed successfully in June 30, 2014. At component closing, the activities exceeded beneficiary targets, with crops by 33 percent, livestock by 13 percent and fisheries by 30 percent. ■■ Rehabilitation work on the existing 257 shelters has been completed, along with construction of 164 new shelters. ■■ Repair work on the 260 kilometers of coastal embankments has been completed. ■■ According to a household survey completed in 2014 in the project sites, the majority of the project beneficiary households have reported an increase in their income in the past season and there has been an approximately 10 percent reduction in poverty incidence due to project interventions. ■■ The project has also delivered feasibility reports for future investment projects (components four and six). Of those, the River Management Improvement Project is being prepared and the Multipurpose Disaster Shelter Project, Coastal Embankment Improvement Project, and the Modern Food Storage Project are being implemented. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Local Government Engineering Department, Bangladesh Water Development Board, Disaster Management Bureau, Departments of Agriculture Extension, Fisheries and Livestock, respectively, of the Ministries of Local Government, Water Resources, Disaster Management; and Ministries of Planning, Agriculture, and Fisheries and Livestock. KEY PARTNERS: Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund, Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, and KfW. 22 HIGHER EDUCATION QUALITY ENHANCEMENT PROJECT KEY DATA: Approved: Mar 17, 2009 Effective: May 13, 2009 Closing date under Additional Financing (AF): December 31, 2018 PDO & IP ratings: MS, MS FINANCING: Financier Financing* Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit (Orig.) 81 99.8% 0.2% GoB 10.8 Total cost 91.8 IDA Credit (AF) 125 32% 68% GoB (AF) 21.3 Total Cost (AF) 146.3 Total (Orig. + AF) 238.1 INTRODUCTION: The Bangladesh government allocates about 2.2 percent of gross domestic product to education, but just 0.2 percent is dedicated to tertiary education. With 85 percent of the tertiary education budget feeding into recurring expenditures, development programs for promoting and establishing research and innovation in higher education institutes (HEIs) remain under-funded. Additionally, there is still no effective mechanism linking university research with industry and business at home or abroad. Low connectivity and inadequate information and communication technology penetration further limit knowledge exchanges and collaboration among HEIs and their researchers with local and global research platforms. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE: To improve the quality and relevance of the teaching and research environment in higher education institutions by encouraging both innovation and accountability within universities, and by enhancing the technical and institutional capacity of the higher-education sector. PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The project promotes academic innovation among eligible public and private universities through a competitive funding mechanism known as the Academic Innovation Fund (AIF). Based on a set of selection criteria, the AIF is granted through four windows: (i) improvement of teaching and learning; (ii) enhancement of research capabilities at the universities; (iii) university-wide innovations including establishment of Technology Transfer Office; and (iv) innovation and university- industry collaboration. The project also supports the establishment of quality assurance mechanisms at national and institutional levels for the tertiary education sector. In addition, the project has established the Bangladesh Research and Education Network (BdREN), which connects universities to high-speed data communications network, enabling teachers, researchers, and students to access the latest knowledge, inter-university video classes and engage in collaborative research. The University Grant Commission Digital Library has also been established and is operational with public and private universities. RESULTS ACHIEVED: ■■ 329 academic innovation grants awarded to 27 public and nine private universities through three rounds. Five university-industry collaboration grants to spur innovation have been awarded. ■■ The AIF grants have supported research and innovations (including enhanced methods for breast cancer detection, vaccination for farm animal disease, etc.) as well as dissemination of new knowledge through production of 120 peer-reviewed academic journals. ■■ BdREN connectivity is fully functional at the University Grants Commission (UGC) and in six universities. ■■ Fifteen percent of students and faculty members have advanced Internet connectivity. ■■ UGC Digital Library is fully operational, providing 41 member universities (32 public, nine private) access to over 30,000 e-resources (research databases, e- journals, e-books). IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: UGC, Ministry of Education Bangladesh Country Snapshot 23 HEALTH SECTOR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (HSDP) KEY DATA: Approved: May 26, 2011 Effective: Oct 23, 2011 Closing: Dec 31, 2016 FINANCING ($ MILLION): Financier Financing* Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 358.06 92% 8% GoB 5,844 Cofinancing 1,817 Total Cost 8,019 PROJECT BACKGROUND: Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in improving the health of the population, especially women and children. The country is on track to achieve child and maternal mortality Millennium Development Goals. Significant achievements have been made in the control of communicable diseases. The country conducted the world’s largest measles-rubella campaign earlier in 2014, covering 53 million children. The World Health Organization recently declared Bangladesh a polio-free zone. Still, considerable development challenges remain in the health sector. Non-communicable diseases represent a growing share of the total Burden of Disease. In addition to the increasing burden of cardiovascular diseases and injuries, figures for malnourished women and children in Bangladesh, although in decline, still remain very high. There is also a growing concern about the rise in overweight individuals. Public spending on health is low in comparison to other countries, with out of pocket expenditures at 63.35 percent of total health spending. Catastrophic health expenditures push people into poverty. The population is rapidly urbanizing -- creating new challenges for the delivery of social and health services, particularly to the urban poor. Despite high treatment success rates for tuberculosis, case detection rates are very low. The health workforce is both insufficient and inefficiently distributed, the provision of health services is fragmented, and the quality of health care needs improvement. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: The Health Sector Development Program (HSDP) aims to enable the Government of Bangladesh to strengthen health systems and improve health services, particularly for the poor. It supports the government in providing essential health services, including reproductive health, family planning and antenatal care; scaling up emergency obstetric and newborn care services; and ensuring 24-hour services in district hospitals and selected health centers. The project also aligns multiple development partners to the country’s priorities in health, nutrition, and population, and uses country systems for implementation and monitoring. It strengthens health-sector planning and resource management, human resource development, pharmaceuticals management, health information systems and the maintenance of health care facilities. In addition, HSDP seeks to improve the control and treatment of both communicable and non-communicable diseases through the provision of vaccinations, scaling up HIV/AIDS interventions for the most-at-risk groups, and improving the quality of treatment for tuberculosis and the control and treatment of malaria in 13 highly endemic areas. For non-communicable diseases, HSDP aims to improve awareness of cardio-vascular disease risks, provide better diagnosis and management of diabetes, and improve screening for cancer. RESULTS: ■■ Reduced maternal mortality by 40 percent, down to 194 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2010. ■■ Child mortality has reduced by more than 50 percent, to 46 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2014. ■■ Helped bring basic vaccination coverage of children younger than 23 months to approximately 84 percent in 2014. ■■ Skilled birth attendants were at 42.1 percent of births in 2014, up from 18 percent in 2007. ■■ About 93 percent of the detected New Smear Positive TB cases have been successfully treated as of 2014. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. KEY PARTNERS: Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, KfW of Germany, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, U.K. Department for International Development, U.S. Agency for International Development, U.N. Population Fund, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. 24 INTEGRATED AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY PROJECT KEY DATA: Approved: Sept 12, 2011 Effective: Sept 12, 2011 Closing: Sept.30, 2016 FINANCING ($ MILLION): Financier Financing Disbursed Undisbursed Financier IDA Credit (incl GAFSP) 46.3 37.75 18.48% 81.52% GoB 17.2 Total cost 63.5 PROJECT BACKGROUND: Agriculture provides livelihoods more than 60 percent of the population of Bangladesh. Despite Bangladesh’s success in reaching near self-sufficiency in food production, people living in the flash flood and drought-prone districts in the northwest and the saline-affected tidal surge areas in the south struggle to earn a living or produce enough food to eat. These regions suffer from higher poverty than the national average. The link between unfavorable agricultural environments, where farmers lack knowledge and technology, and chronic poverty, coupled with food insecurity, is abundantly clear in these areas. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: The project aims to enhance the productivity of agriculture (crops, livestock, and fisheries) in selected agro-ecologically constrained and economically depressed areas. It seeks to use technology and training to enhance agricultural production in the northern and southern districts affected by flash floods, drought and tidal surge areas affected by saline. The project focuses on alleviating poverty and increasing food security through increased production of major crops such as cereals, diversification of high-value non-cereal crops such as fruits and vegetables, and development of non-crop agriculture such as fishery, poultry, and livestock. Livelihood Field Schools improve farmers’ understanding and skills base, and also demonstrate the use of improved technologies. The project also aims to release new and improved crop varieties and more productive fish species, and help farmers increase crop intensity by conserving and utilizing surface water and improving the availability and efficient use of irrigation water. RESULTS: ■■ The Department of Agriculture Extension formed 7,200 Livelihood Field Schools and conducted more than 38,000 demonstrations on various crops and im- proved technologies. ■■ The Department of Fisheries formed 2,100 fish farmer groups and conducted 5,880 demonstrations on improved fish varieties and production technologies. ■■ Improved agricultural technologies adopted by more than 208,000 farmers, including improved irrigation for 23,312 hectares. ■■ Release for use of 17 improved production packages for crops and nine for aquaculture, as well as 11 improved various crop varieties (four improved varieties of Wheat, one hybrid of mustard, one pulses and five new rice varieties); ■■ The Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation processed 3,000 tons of certified seeds in new facilities. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock. KEY PARTNERS: Global Agriculture and Food Security Program, Australia, Canada, Japan, Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. Bangladesh Country Snapshot 25 INVESTMENT PROMOTION AND FINANCING FACILITY (IPFF) KEY DATA: Approved: May 2, 2006 Effective: Aug 24, 2006 Closing: Dec 31, 2015 FINANCING ($ MILLION): Financier Financing Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 306 75% 25% GoB 60 Local Intermediary 190 Total cost 556 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Bangladesh’s aspiration to become a middle-income country has been constrained by the large gap in infrastructure investment. Bridging the infrastructure gap has two major challenges: (i) low country capacity to conceptualize, design, and contract infrastructure ventures; and (ii) lack of long-term financing for successful closure of the infrastructure investment proposals. Key infrastructure ministries/agencies of the government have a long way to go before they can gather adequate technical and financial capacity to develop and implement the required infrastructure projects. Fiscal constraints on the government add on to financing side of the problem. As such, Government of Bangladesh has adopted the policy of promoting private sector participation in key infrastructure sectors, including energy and power, roads and bridges, information and communications technology, inland container terminal, river port and sea-port infrastructure. Public-private partnership (PPP) has been identified as an important tool to leverage the technical, financial, and project management resources of the private sector. Although the Private Sector Investment Guideline (PSIG) 2004 encouraged the private sector, it did not provide for support to feasibility studies, transaction management, and other upstream activities associated with infrastructure investment proposals. The country’s commercial-bank-dominated financial sector has historically been lending for shorter terms spanning over one – three years. Limited financial capacity, risk of asset liability mismatch, and lack of integration to international debt markets have constrained the local financial institutions’ ability to finance infrastructure projects for longer terms such as 10 to 15 years. As a consequence, infrastructure development programs, which are long-term in nature, had been suffering and the country needed Internal Development Association support with new lending facility to bridge the infrastructure gap. This project was taken up to increase private-sector investment in infrastructure by working with key government agencies and local financial institutions (FIs), selected based on pre-set eligibility criteria. Under the facility, the FIs apply to Bangladesh Bank, the project’s implementing agency, for partial debt financing, which they on- lend to private-sector sponsors awarded or licensed to implement infrastructure sub-project. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: The objectives of the project are: (i) to supplement the resources of local financial institutions to provide long-term finance for infrastructure investment proposals; and (ii) to promote the role of entrepreneurs in infrastructure development. To this end, apart from the main on-lending component, the project provides for technical assistance in two streams: for institutional strengthening of the PPP Office of Government, and for development of pipeline sub-projects by supporting upstream activities including feasibility studies, transaction support, and preparation of bid documents. The overarching goal is to increase eligibility of the sub-projects for IPFF funding and impart good practices in project development in Bangladesh. RESULTS: ■■ Delivery of 10 fully operational power plants, adding 478 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the national grid, with another 100 MW coming by December 2015. ■■ Financing of three central water treatment plants in export processing zones of Chittagong, Adamjee and, Commilla. ■■ Support to a nationwide fiber optic cable network sub-project, which will expand Internet outreach and speed, and an inland container terminal in Chittagong, IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Bangladesh Bank, the central bank of the country. KEY PARTNERS: PPP Office of the Government, key infrastructure ministries. 26 DENTIFICATION SYSTEM FOR ENHANCED ACCESS TO SERVICES (IDEA) PROJECT KEY DATA: Approved: May 10, 2011 Effective : August 28, 2011 Closing: December 31, 2017 Citizens at an NID Registration Center FINANCING ($ MILLION): Photo: Mia Harbitz Financier Financing Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 173 34% 66% GoB 24 Total cost 197 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The IDEA Project aims to establish a secure, accurate, and reliable national identification (NID) management system in Bangladesh to serve as the basis for more efficient, inclusive, and transparent service delivery. It aims to: (i) build and strengthen the NID system; (ii) develop the capacity of National Identity Registration Wing (NIDW) to provide identity verification services; (iii) support Bangladesh Election Commission in issuing smart NID cards with robust security features; and (iv) develop capacity over the longer term to integrate the new ID system into a wide range of both public and private services. It contributes to enhance the data quality to facilitate online as well as off-line NID verification services. The smart NID cards usher in a new avenue for effective and reliable off-line verification service. The agencies delivering services to citizens in Bangladesh can now greatly reduce their transaction costs by efficiently identifying their clients and maintaining their own databases of customers. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: The project’s objective is to establish a secure, accurate, and reliable national identification system in Bangladesh to serve as the basis for more efficient and transparent service delivery. The components of IDEA Project include: putting in place the regulatory framework, which has already been achieved; the management of the NID verification system and the management of producing and distributing smart NID cards; and capacity building, communication, and overall project management. RESULTS: ■■ The enrollment of the citizens older than 18 in the NID database has become nearly universal. There is biometric data for over 96 million citizens in the database. ■■ The National Board of Revenue (NBR) is providing an electronic-Taxpayer’s Identification Number (e-TIN) to the eligible citizens based on the NID database. This has enabled less duplication of TINs, which has led to a reduction in taxpayers’ number from 3 million records in 2013 to 1.8 million in 2015. Using the NID system, there is a scope of widening the tax base by bringing eligible citizens under the coverage of the tax network. ■■ Using the online NID verification system, Bangladesh Bank’s (BB) Credit Information Bureau is now able to authenticate the identity of the citizens who have applied for different types of loans from the financial institutions. The BB can effectively and transparently identify an individual’s credit worthiness; also citizens’ access to credit facilities has become easier now. ■■ The BRAC Bank Ltd. and Dutch Bangla Bank Ltd., two leading private-sector commercial banks, have started using identity verification through the NID system. This will enable poor people to open bank accounts and, hence, remove constraints to accessing different financial services, in particular, the mobile financial services and safety net schemes of the government. ■■ The Passport Authority is verifying identity of the citizens who apply for passports. The verification service enables citizens to effectively assert their identity as a Bangladeshi and allows the poor to effectively access overseas employment opportunities managed by the government. ■■ The 17-digit NID number containing year of birth and geographical information of a citizen has been replaced by a 10- digit unique NID number. This change will contribute to the integration of different agencies providing citizen services and will safeguard the privacy of citizens’ core data. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: National Identity Registration Wing, Bangladesh Election Commission KEY PARTNERS: Not applicable. Bangladesh Country Snapshot 27 INCOME SUPPORT PROGRAM FOR THE POOREST KEY DATA: Approved: December 16, 2014 Effective: April 16, 2015 Closing: June 30, 2020 FINANCING ($ MILLION): Financier Financing Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit $ 300 5.0 295.0 GoB $ 3.37 0 3.37 Other $0 0 0 Total cost $ 303.37 5.0 298.37 PROJECT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Although Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in poverty reduction and human development outcomes, extreme poverty and vulnerability remain stubborn problems. The country ranks sixth in the world on prevalence of stunting. The incidence of low birth weight is also among the highest at 22 percent, with maternal under-nutrition at about 24 percent. The poor, in particular, primarily experience under-nutrition. Despite the country’s achievements of increased access to education and gender parity, there are also marked disparities in participation and educational attainment rates for children in poor communities compared to their non- poor counterparts. Thus, improving nutrition and cognitive development opportunities for poor children is critical to arrest intergenerational transmission of poverty and presents an early window of opportunity to address inequality and improve outcomes for children later in life. Failure to invest adequately in the wellbeing of children from an early age has long-term implications for children and society as a whole, because it increases the likelihood of poverty in adulthood and perpetuates intergenerational transmission of poverty. By focusing on lifecycle vulnerabilities, social protection can serve to address vulnerabilities associated with a particular stage in life. In order to address these challenges, the government will be implementing the International Development Association-supported Income Support Program for the Poorest Project -- a co-responsible cash transfer program that will provide income support to poor mothers in selected locations while: (i) increasing the mothers’ use of Child Nutrition and Cognitive Development services; and (ii) enhancing local-level capacity to deliver safety nets. Quarterly cash transfers will be made to eligible households based on their fulfillment of co-responsibilities linked to the growth and development of their young children (up to age 5). These include: (i) utilization of antenatal care services up to four times during pregnancy; (ii) use of growth monitoring and promotion services; and (iii) attendance at child nutrition and cognitive development awareness sessions. The average size of the monthly benefit is between $15-23, depending on the beneficiary profile, and falls within 20 percent of the estimated monthly per capita expenditure of the target population. In keeping with the government’s family planning policy, only the first and second born children will be eligible, to help prevent distorted incentives. The project will also provide technical assistance to the implementing agency to facilitate administration and implementation of the cash transfer program, which includes building partnerships with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for the use of community clinics to deliver services and with the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications for the use of biometric Post Office cash cards for beneficiary payments. A robust monitoring and evaluation framework has also been designed to assess progress in achieving the project’s objectives through third party monitoring and evaluate the impact of cash transfers on household poverty and children’s health outcomes. RESULTS: ■■ Project locations have been identified based on poverty and malnutrition criteria. The project will be implemented in 42 upazilas (sub-districts) across northern Bangladesh reaching up to 600,000 mothers and their families. ■■ Preparation activities are ongoing, with staffing and procurement activities underway. Conditional Cash Transfer program operations are tentatively scheduled to begin in July 2016. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Local Government Division. KEY PARTNERS: The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation has recently approved $1.1 million towards the cost of the impact evaluation of the project. Innovations for Poverty Action has also expressed interest in partnering on the project evaluation and discussions are ongoing. Several trust funds have also been secured to provide technical assistance to the project, including the Early Learning Partnership and Rapid Social Response funds. 28 LEVERAGING ICT FOR GROWTH, EMPLOYMENT, AND GOVERNANCE KEY DATA: Approved: Sep 20, 2012 Effective: Jan 24, 2013 Closing: Dec 31, 2017 FINANCING: Original Loan/Credit Amount: SDR 44,200 ($ 70 million) Revised Loan/Credit Amount: SDR 39,997,500 ($ 56.25 million)a Financier b Financing ($, millions) Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 56.25 22% 28% GoB Total cost 57.25 PROJECT BACKGROUND: Bangladesh’s information and communications technology (ICT) industry has developed over the past decade. The government has also actively promoted its Digital Bangladesh program, which has generated high expectations among citizens. However the information technology (IT) industry sub-sector has remained relatively nascent as compared to the telecommunications sub-sector, with total industry output estimated at $300 million per annum. The government also recognizes the need to leverage electronic government (e-government) for public services delivery and to facilitate its reform efforts. However the lack of shared IT hosting infrastructure, governance policies, and standards and structures present a major barrier to providing seamless electronic services and improving the public sector’s effectiveness and efficiency. This project will support the development of Bangladesh’s IT/IT Enabled Services (ITES) industry as the country possesses a comparative advantage in the sub-sector, and the industry has been proven to have significant development impact in other developing countries. The project will also establish e-government foundations and institutional capacity for the government to leverage this proven approach to support public sector modernization. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: The project aims to catalyze growth of Bangladesh’s IT and enabled services industry for employment creation and export diversification, and to establish basic e-government foundations to support public-sector modernization. The project’s two main components are: (i) IT/ITES industry development’ and (ii) e-government. The first component will increase the competitiveness of Bangladesh’s IT/ITES industry by increasing the quantity and quality of skills, awareness and perception of the country. This includes IT/ITES training for workers and middle management, institutional capacity building, and industry development strategy, branding and promotion. The second component will provide critical e-government technological foundations to support public-sector modernization and the e-government agenda for the years ahead, and build the human capacity to leverage technology within government. This includes expansion of the national datacenter, training on e-government for relevant public officials, and establishing shared policies, standards and guidelines in enterprise architecture, interoperability framework, and cybersecurity. EXPECTED RESULTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS: ■■ Creating 30,000 direct IT/ITES jobs: Created 6,000 jobs to date. ■■ Improving Bangladesh’s ranking on the World Economic Forum’s Network Readiness Index by at least five places: Improved global ranking of 109 in 2015, from 115 in 2012 and 113 in 2013. ■■ Percentage of ministries using two or more e-government technology foundations established under the project: 11 percent of 50 percent to date. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Bangladesh Computer Council KEY PARTNERS: Not applicable. Bangladesh Country Snapshot 29 MODERN FOOD STORAGE FACILITIES PROJECT KEY DATA: Approved: December 30, 2013 Effective: 27 May 2014 Closing: June 30, 2020 FINANCING ($ MILLION): Financier Financing Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 210 5% 95% Beneficiaries 5 Total cost 215 PROJECT BACKGROUND: Despite strong economic growth and a steady decline in poverty in Bangladesh over the past decade, natural disasters regularly cause serious damage to the country’s infrastructure and agricultural sectors, severely affecting food access and food availability for the poor and vulnerable. The expected increase in the frequency and intensity of weather-related shocks makes it imperative that the government enhance its preparedness to address food insecurity in disaster-prone areas. The Public Food Distribution System (PFDS) is a core element of the government’s food security strategy. The modern food storage facilities proposed for construction under this project could considerably improve the efficacy of the government’s emergency response and recovery efforts in disaster-prone areas, and if grain stocks are properly managed, could enhance the efficiency of its PFDS at the same time. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: The project’s overall objective is to increase the grain reserve available to households to meet post-disaster needs and improve the efficiency of grain storage management. Components include improving the storage capacity for grain by financing the construction of modern steel silos for rice and wheat that will be built in accordance with social and environmental sustainability parameters and safeguards compliance criteria. In addition, the project will facilitate households’ access to domestic silos for food grain and seed storage to improve household-level food security during and after natural disasters. It also will finance investments in small-scale storage at the rural household level, which is expected to bring important benefits to the farming community in the form of safer storage of rice seed. Another component will finance costs required to ensure adequate overall management of the project, monitoring and evaluation of the activities implemented, and capacity enhancement of selected stakeholders. EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ Increased emergency grain storage capacity in central and household level storage (370,000 metric tons at the end of the project). ■■ Direct project beneficiaries, (10 million, of which half are female). ■■ Reduction in grain storage and handling losses in public storage facilities (by 50 percent). IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: IF RELEVANT Ministry of Food, Directorate General of Food. KEY PARTNERS: Not applicable. 30 MULTIPURPOSE DISASTER SHELTER PROJECT (MDSP) KEY DATA: Approved: December 16, 2014 Effective: April 1, 2015 Closing: September 30, 2020 PDO and IP ratings: S and S FINANCING ($ MILLION): Financier Financing Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 375.00 2.18% 97.82% GoB 1.70 36.6 1.6 Total Cost 376.70 PROJECT BACKGROUND: The longitudinal position of Bangladesh, combined with its proximity to the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean, generate a tropical monsoon-type climate, prone to cyclones, flooding, and drought. Bangladesh is also at risk for earthquakes and tsunamis, sitting at or near the juncture of several active tectonic boundaries. Cyclones typically affect Bangladesh in the fall and spring, the intervals between the dry season and the monsoon season. North Indian Ocean tropical cyclones occur at least 500 kilometers (km) from the equator, a necessary prerequisite for a strong enough Coriolis force to sustain a low pressure center. Intensification of the storm transpires as gradient wind balance concentrates latent heat near the core. Cyclones move northward where, almost every year, at least one makes landfall in Bangladesh. The coast of Bangladesh is approximately 710 km long and is home to nearly 40 million people. Cyclones affect the region with strong winds accompanied by powerful storm surges and widespread inundation over a vast area. After the severe cyclone of 1970, which killed an estimated 300,000 people, the Government of Bangladesh pledged to improve protection of the coastal population. In the subsequent decades, the government constructed a network of cyclone shelters in the coastal areas, and developed an early warning system for local communities called the Cyclone Preparedness Program (CPP). Between 1970 and 2007, around 1,700 cyclone shelters were constructed, with the aim of providing protection from high winds and storm surges common during cyclones. The growing network of cyclone shelters and the community-based early warning system has served to save lives and assets in the event of a natural disaster. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: The development objective of this project is to reduce the vulnerability of the coastal population across selected coastal districts of Bangladesh to natural disasters. This will be measured through an increase in the demand met for multipurpose disaster shelters in targeted districts. The objective will be achieved by improving existing multi-purpose shelters, constructing new disaster shelters, and improving roads and connectivity in the area. The Multipurpose Disaster Shelters Project (MDSP) is a large-scale, disaster risk mitigation infrastructure project that strengthens emergency preparedness and will significantly reduce vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters. This builds on initial phases of interventions in multipurpose disaster shelters advanced under Emergency 2007 Cyclone Recovery and Restoration Project (ECRRP), considered the first phase of investments. The project is expected to have an impact on long- term disaster resiliency in Bangladesh, focused particularly on the coastal region. MDSP would focus on meeting these high priority needs by providing construction of 552 new shelters and the improvement of 450 existing shelters. The project will also invest in connecting roads and communication networks to shelters, increasing accessibility and effectiveness. It is expected that by safeguarding lives and assets, the project will contribute to goals of continued growth and shared prosperity. EXPECTED RESULTS: The project is expected to benefit nearly 14 million people living in the nine coastal districts of Bangladesh by improving access to safe havens in the event of a natural disaster. This would serve to build the resilience of local communities to such natural calamities, and help to speed recovery by protecting critical assets. In addition, the project aims to construct multipurpose buildings, especially primary schools, and will thereby benefit the primary school age populations in these districts. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Local Government Engineering Department, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives. Bangladesh Country Snapshot 31 MUNICIPAL GOVERNANCE AND SERVICES PROJECT (MGSP) KEY DATA: Board approval: January 14, 2014 IDA Financing: $410 million Effectiveness date: April 6, 2014 Disbursement: $38 million Closing date: June 30, 2020 IMPLEMENTING AGENCIES: Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) Bangladesh Municipal Development Fund (BMDF) Stakeholders holding a workshop to define their urban local body’s Capital Investment Plan (CIP). The CIP is meant to identify municipal infrastructure priorities that could be financed by the MGSP. PROJECT BACKGROUND: Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated and rapidly urbanizing countries in the world. The population density and high urban growth are putting great pressure on basic urban services, particularly on local governments, district towns or municipalities and city corporations that are entrusted to provide such services. Bangladesh has 331 urban local bodies (ULBs), comprising 10 city corporations and 321 municipalities. Despite progress in the decentralization reform agenda, the capacity of these urban institutions is still weak: they have limited fiscal autonomy and decision-making powers, inadequate own-source revenues, and weak systems of accountability. Infrastructure in these ULBs is very inadequate, and whatever assets they have are poorly maintained, if at all. The MGSP is designed to address weak governance and help infrastructure development and maintenance in participating ULBs. It is designed to provide incentives to ULBs that demonstrate significant improvements in planning, financial management, and accountability. The project is reaching out to ULBs through the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) (for 26 selected ULBs in the Dhaka-Chittagong growth corridor) and through the Bangladesh Municipal Development Fund (BMDF) (under a grant-loan-equity subproject financing scheme) for ULBs that meet creditworthiness criteria. The project is also pursuing intensive capacity-building activities to enable ULBs to perform better and carry out their functions effectively. It also features a contingent emergency response component to enable ULBs to carry out disaster response activities if needed. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES AND IMPLEMENTATION PROGRESS: The project development objective is to improve municipal governance and basic urban services in participating ULBs, and to improve the government’s capacity to respond effectively to emergencies. Into its second year of effectiveness, the project has initiated implementation of a number of small-scale infrastructure investments in the participating ULBs. These are mostly micro drains, road resurfacing, and construction of kitchen markets. In the 26 LGED ULBs, the operation and maintenance (O&M) activities were supported on pilot basis, i.e., to allow these ULBs to prioritize O&M activities through planning and integrating O&M costs into their annual budget programs. Procurement of consultants to carry out activities that relate to the performance enhancement components (e.g., performance assessment, capacity- building consultants) as well as to prepare the BMDF road map for improving its operations is underway. Preparations for the conduct of third party monitoring have been initiated while the Country Investment Plan process has been carried out to improve the quality of subprojects to be supported by the MGSP. Improvements in the execution of the O&M component are also being discussed with the ULBs. Bottlenecks in the procurement of key project inputs will need to be addressed to ensure that the project can achieve its objectives and keep implementation on track. 32 NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM – PHASE II KEY DATA: Approved: Jun 5, 2015 Effective: N/A Closing: September 30, 2021 FINANCING ($ MILLION) Financier Financing Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 176.60 0 176.06 IFAD 23.86 0 23.86 USAID 7.43 0 7.43 Govt. 6.50 0 6.50 Total cost 214.0 0 214.0 *$ millions; as of June 30, 2015; revised amount after partial cancellation; BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: National Agricultural Technology Program Phase II Project (NATP-2) builds on the successes of its predecessor NATP. It will support the government’s strategic priorities in agriculture, i.e., increasing production, achieving food security, supporting adaptation to climate change, and enhancing nutrition through safer and more diversified food. The overarching principle of NATP-2 is to promote a more demand-driven approach to improvement of agricultural technology and modernization of on-farm practices that takes into account the growing demand from consumers for safer food, as well as the needs of farmers for more diversified production. NATP-II will contribute directly to the Ministry of Agriculture’s (MoA) and the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock’s (MoFL) priority of increasing farm yields and diversifying agricultural production by improving agricultural research and extension. Its dual field-level strategy will deepen the interventions initiated by the previous project in existing sub districts and expand the geographic coverage to include new sub districts. NATP-II will cover 57 of the country’s 64 districts and span a broad range of agro- ecological zones across Bangladesh. The project will be implemented over a six-year period in up to 270 of the country’s 493 sub-districts (or upazilas); this includes 107 upazilas already covered under NATP, plus up to 163 new upazilas. The primary project beneficiaries will be smallholder farmers (i.e., small, marginal and landless farmers). The project will promote gender mainstreaming and women’s empowerment to ensure that a significant proportion of direct beneficiaries are female. Other direct project beneficiaries include extension workers, agricultural researchers, and to a lesser extent, rural entrepreneurs. PROJECT OBJECTIVE: The project development objective for NATP-2 is to increase agricultural productivity of small holders’ farms and improve small-holder farmers’ access to markets in selected districts. RESULTS: ■■ The project is not yet effective. ■■ The project was approved by the Board on June 5, 2015. Approval by the Government of Bangladesh was expected September 2015. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: MoA, MoFL KEY PARTNERS: International Fund for Agricultural Development; US Agency for International Development. Bangladesh Country Snapshot 33 NORTHERN AREAS REDUCTION OF POVERTY INITIATIVE KEY DATA: Approved: Oct. 27, 2011 Effective: Mar 25, 2012 Closing: Oct 31, 2017 FINANCING ($29.29 MILLION) Financier Financing Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 29.3 61% 39% GoB 7 Misc. 3.5 Total cost 39.8 PROJECT BACKGROUND: The garment industry in Bangladesh accounts for 75 to 80 percent of Bangladesh’s export earnings, and has also played a significant role in providing economic benefits to poor and vulnerable women. Today, around 80 percent of the garment workers are female. Yet, the number of poor women from impoverished north- western districts joining the garments sector is much lower than the number of women garment workers from other parts of the country. Female garment workers constitute a highly vulnerable group, with few support systems in place that provide them adequate training or social services. For these women, their first few months in the city and at the factory are the most hazardous, deterring many women who are in desperate need of work from joining the industry. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: The Northern Areas Reduction of Poverty Initiative (NARI) aims to recruit 10,800 women from five districts in northern Bangladesh for an orientation course to help them make informed decisions about beginning a new life in one of three export processing zones (EPZs) in Dhaka, Karnaphuli, or Ishwardi. The women will be settled into newly built complexes, with transitional housing facilities at dormitories, giving them time to develop social networks and support systems. The project also provides three months of training in skills for the garment industry, allowing women to enter factories as semi-skilled workers. Trainees also will receive life-skills training, covering topics such as adjustment to city life, savings and remittances, safety and security, rights and responsibilities at the work-place, finding appropriate housing, contract negotiation, and health and fertility. RESULTS ACHIEVED: ■■ Three dormitories and training centers constructed. ■■ The Information, Education Campaign to raise awareness in source areas, orient and recruit beneficiaries launched and is nearing completion for the first group. ■■ Dialogue launched for partnering with the biggest brands and buyers (H&M, Walmart, Primark etc.) that source ready-made garments from Bangladesh to leverage corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds for the operating costs of the project, and link the beneficiaries of the project with ongoing CSR activities at the factory and community level. EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ The first 900 selected candidates will be inducted into the dormitories and training centers by mid-October 2015 ■■ Around 10,800 women will gain formal employment, and networks will be established for continuing the flow of potential workers. ■■ Three months of training will be provided and the employment bureaus will place the trainees into employment. ■■ The women will also be accommodated in transitional housing facilities for six months. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority. Coordinating Ministry: Ministry of Labor and Employment. KEY PARTNERS: Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association; Bangladesh Knit Manufacturers and Exporters Association. 34 NUTON JIBON LIVELIHOOD IMPROVEMENT PROJECT KEY DATA: Approved: February 25, 2015 Effective: August 03, 2015 Closing: June 30, 2021 FINANCING ($ MILLION): Financier Financing* Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 200.00 0 0 GoB 20.00 0 0 Total cost 220.00 0 0 *$ millions; as of June 30, 2015; revised amount after partial cancellation; For more information see the latest Implementation Status and Results Report PROJECT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The Nuton Jibon Livelihood Improvement Project (NJLIP) is the follow-up project to the Empowerment and Livelihood Improvement “Nuton Jibon” project, also called Social Investment Program Project II (SIPP II), which will be closed on December 31, 2015. The predecessor project covered 3,262 villages in 16 districts where 92 percent of villages, (or 2,987 of the 3,262) are functioning in an inclusive, transparent, and accountable manner. The project will work on: (i) second generation activities in nine districts supported by SIPP II; (ii) development of villages supported by SIPP II and new villages in seven districts; and (iii) development of villages in five new districts. A total of 4,315 villages (1,815 existing villages plus 2,500 new ones) will be covered under this project. The non-negotiable project principles would be inclusion, equity, participation, transparency, and accountability, in addition to the 10 golden rules called “Dosh Neeti”. The project objective is to improve the livelihoods of extreme poor communities and to strengthen the community institutions in selected districts. RESULTS: ■■ Project Manuals – The project has completed a final set of project manuals for NJLIP. This includes: (i) a community operation manual; (ii) a project implementa- tion plan; (iii) a human resource policy and manual; and (iv) a productive investment fund manual. ■■ Project Implementation Readiness – The project was declared effective on August 3, 2015. Reallocation of staff to all agreed positions is completed and the vacan- cies will be filled through competitive process. The Social Development Foundation (SDF) has agreed to maintain the staff positions as per the agreed organization chart. All manuals are being printed and were expected to be made available to all project staff by August 31, 2015. Counterpart funding from the Government of Bangladesh was expected by September 30, 2015. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: SDF. KEY PARTNERS: Not applicable Bangladesh Country Snapshot 35 PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT PROJECT KEY DATA: Approved: Mar 1, 2011 Effective: Aug 3, 2011 Closing: June 30, 2016 FINANCING ($ MILLION): Financier Financing* Disbursed IDA Credit 42.8 59.8% GoB DFID 17.4 57.5% Total Cost 60.2 59.1% PROJECT BACKGROUND: In order to stimulate Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in export-oriented manufacturing, the Government of Bangladesh initiated an economic zones regime by enacting a law in 1980 under which Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) was created. The objective was to promote investment, export, and job creation by providing serviced land, reliable infrastructure, and one-stop administrative support to the investors. Since then eight Export Processing Zones (EPZs) have been established across the country. Chittagong EPZ, the first economic zone in Bangladesh dedicated for export-oriented manufacturing industries, was established in 1983. The EPZ model, catering mainly to export-oriented FDIs, has its limits in terms of cumulative impact and spillovers to the domestic economy by promoting better business environment to a broader investor clientele. As such, further improvements to the economic zones regime became an imperative for the economy to thrive. To meet the investment need of both overseas and domestic investors, the government moved into a more flexible and competitive Special Economic Zone (SEZ) regime and the Economic Zones Act sponsored by the World Bank Group was enacted by the Parliament in August 2010 and led to the creation of the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA). The World Bank Group, together with UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), is supporting the government in developing Economic Zones through Bangladesh Private Sector Development Support Project. This project aims to create jobs and accelerate growth by promoting diversified private-sector investment, local and foreign. Specifically it aims to: (i) improve the business environment and access to serviced land through Economic Zones; (ii) invest in training schemes to make human resources more responsive to enterprise needs; and (iii) supports local private-sector capacity through product/process quality improvements. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: The project objective is to facilitate investment in growth centers in the emerging manufacturing and services sectors of the economy, with a view to generating employment. The project promotes private sector investment by improving the business environment and access to industrial land through economic zones. It also supports the government in establishing private sector-led economic zones through public private partnerships. RESULTS: ■■ Generated $12 million in direct investment in the economic zones, against a target of $10 million. ■■ Created 1,023 new jobs, of which 26.7 percent are for women, against a target of 2,000 jobs by June 2016 (30 percent for women). ■■ BEZA completed feasibility studies for four economic zone sites, with one in Mongla awarded to the private sector. ■■ BEZA also issued license to establish three private sector-led SEZs in different parts of Bangladesh. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Not applicable. KEY PARTNERS: DFID, BEZA, Economic Relations Division, High-Tech Park Authority, BEPZA 36 PUBLIC PROCUREMENT REFORM PROJECT II KEY DATA: Original Credit Additional Financing Approval July 5, 2007 May 9, 2013 Effective Sep 12, 2007 July 28, 2013 Closing Dec 31, 2016 Dec 31, 2016 Financing: 23.6 ($M) 34.5 ($M) FINANCING ($ MILLION): Financier Financing* Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 58.1 63.6% 36.4% GoB 1.3 Total cost 59.4 PROJECT BACKGROUND: Public procurement expenditures constitute over 70 percent of the annual development program (ADP) in Bangladesh. Thus procurement plays a pivotal role in the development agenda of the government. It is well documented that weaknesses in public procurement have a cumulative negative effect on investment and economic growth. Poor public procurement skews investment toward areas where rent-seeking is prevalent, rather than toward the areas that need it most for poverty reduction and development. Procurement was identified as the main reason for poor utilization of aid and development programs in the country. Given this context, the government initiated a systemic procurement reform in the country starting 2002, with the focus on legislation, followed by extensive capacity development, electronic procurement, and performance measurement. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: The Public Procurement Reform Project II (PPRP-II) aims to improve the performance of the public procurement system, focusing largely on the key sectoral ministries and their implementing agencies. It follows on the successes of the first PPRP that supported the enactment of procurement laws and rules. The four components of PPRP II deal with comprehensive capacity development, procurement performance monitoring, electronic procurement, and social accountability. Besides Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU), the nodal procurement agency, four key government agencies that share large part of the annual development program are involved – the Roads and Highways Department, Local Government Engineering Department, Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board, and Bangladesh Water Development Board. They processed over 90 percent of FY2015 procurement through electronic tendering with a target of 100 percent by 2016, including on- line procurement performance monitoring. In addition, PPRP-II has been implementing a comprehensive capacity-building program along with a social accountability and behavioral change communications campaign to demystify procurement at the grassroots level. RESULTS: ■■ Invited over 90 percent of tenders through electronic procurement in four key agencies in 2014, up from 3 percent in 2012. ■■ Awarded 79 percent of small-value contracts at decentralized levels within the initial bid validity period in 2013, up from 10 percent in 2007. ■■ Published 100 percent of contracts awards in e-Government Procurement (eGP), up from 15 percent in 2007 in traditional/manual tender. ■■ Published 100 percent of tender invitations in e-GP in 2015, up from 70 percent in 2007 in manual tenders. ■■ Trained more than 11,000 officials,; 6,500 of them were provided with a three-week procurement course. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: CPTU, Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division. Bangladesh Country Snapshot 37 REACHING OUT-OF-SCHOOL CHILDREN PROJECT II KEY DATA: Approved: Oct 2, 2012 Effective: Jan 30, 2013 Closing: Dec 31, 2017 FINANCING: Financier Financing Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 130 28% 72% USAID 3.8 BETF 7.5 GoB 141.3 Total cost PROJECT BACKGROUND: In 2010, nearly five million primary school-aged children were out of school in Bangladesh – many of these children had never enrolled, while others had dropped out before completing the primary cycle due to poverty. Children from the poorest quintile were reported to be disproportionately left out of the schooling system. As a consequence, these children were deprived of an education, reducing their chances of finding higher-earning jobs that could lift them and their families out of poverty. Building on the success of the first Reaching Out-of-School Children (ROSC) project, ROSC II provides a second chance at primary education to restore that opportunity. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: The project aims to improve equitable access, retention and completion in quality primary education for out-of-school children in selected under-served areas. ROSC II reintegrates out-of-school children into the education system through learning centers called Ananda schools (schools of joy), which are established in selected upazilas (sub-districts) with high-poverty and low-enrollment and completion rates. As ROSC students tend to be older, teachers observe a flexible schedule, with students taught by a single class teacher until they are ready to join mainstream secondary schools. These centers also provide education stipends to students to lessen the financial burden on families, in addition to providing free books, stationery, and school uniforms. The project builds upon the experiences of both public and non- governmental organization (NGOs) provision of education and blends formal education with non-formal means of delivery to the young learners, providing them with an opportunity to complete grade five and transition to secondary education. The project also tries to empower disadvantaged rural communities to establish, own, and manage Ananda schools with support from the government and local education NGOs. In addition, the project aims to pilot initiatives in selected urban slums for child domestics, a pre-vocational skills training scheme for older ROSC students, and an Early Grade Reading program for current ROSC students. RESULTS: ■■ Enrollment of 616,042 out-of-school children (49 percent girls and 87 percent from disadvantaged families) in in 20,076 supported learning centers in 148 of the most disadvantaged upazilas and selected urban slums of Dhaka. ■■ Average grade retention rate stands at 62 percent, with the attendance rate at 86 percent and teacher absence rate below 15 percent. ■■ Most Ananda schools have water and sanitation facilities, and 80 percent of teachers at them are women. ■■ For the first time, ROSC students participated in the 2013 national learning assessment for primary level. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Directorate of Primary Education. KEY PARTNERS: USAID, Save the Children 38 REVENUE MOBILIZATION PROGRAM FOR RESULTS: VAT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM KEY DATA: Approved:May 09, 2014 Effective: January 11, 2015 Closing: June 30, 2020 PDO and IP ratings: MS, MU FINANCING ($ MILLION): Financier Financing Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 60 18% 82% GoB 13 0.4% 12.6% Total cost 73 PROJECT BACKGROUND: Low revenue mobilization in Bangladesh is a critical constraint to the government’s development aspirations. The level of tax collection was 10.4 percent of gross domestic product in 2012 and has remained at that level over the last few years. Additional problems in tax administration include manual systems, governance issues and lack of skilled staff. A new value-added tax law to take effect in 2016 will broaden the base, increase the VAT yield and contribute towards the establishment of a modern and service-oriented VAT administration. The program goes beyond the introduction of the new tax administration software. It supports the restructuring of the VAT wing and the re-engineering of key business processes and strengthens reporting to the public on performance and complaints-handling, along with providing greater transparency of the administration. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: The objective is to improve revenue mobilization and transparency in the VAT administration. The project seeks to strengthen organization of the core VAT functional areas including: VAT tax registration; tax return filing and processing; tax payment; taxpayer accounting; tax refund; tax audit; tax collection and enforcement; tax appeal; and taxpayer services. It also will develop and deploy an integrated VAT management system that will establish a central processing center and a contact center operated by the private sector on contract. In addition to enhancing revenue mobilization, the project supports the greater transparency of the VAT administration. This will be done through making the VAT wing fully compliant with the Right to Information Act, 2009. RESULTS: ■■ Customizable Commercial Off-the shelf Software (COTS) procurement has been completed and a contract is due to signed by end September; (Disbursement Linked Indicator (DLI) 1.1.1) ■■ Project Management Consultancy contract was signed on July 15, 2015, and the winning vendor has already started operating within the Project Office; (DLI 1.2.1) ■■ Progress has been made with regards to other DLIs: DLI 5 with respect to increased transparency; and DLI 6 with respect to strengthening fiduciary capacity has been partially met with the project team reaching the 25 percent target of Nationally Competitive Bids using e-Government Procurement in fiscal years 2014/2015. ■■ The tender for the independent verification entity has been launched. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: VAT Online Project Office, VAT Wing, National Board of Revenue. KEY PARTNERS: Not applicable. Bangladesh Country Snapshot 39 RURAL WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION PROJECT KEY DATA: Approved: Mar 22, 2012 Effective: May 13, 2012 Closing: June 30, 2017 FINANCING ($ MILLION): Financier Financing Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 42.2 15% 85% Communities 5.6 GoB 2.7 Total cost 50.7 * Project restructuring included cancellation of $25 million of IDA credit PROJECT BACKGROUND: National rural water supply coverage in Bangladesh is estimated to be around 97 percent, but water quality issues and contamination by arsenic have effectively lowered this figure to around 83 percent. Arsenic is the single largest threat to safe water service provision in Bangladesh. The quality of sanitation coverage is another area of concern, with only 37 percent of latrines being hygienic. The poor infrastructure and facilities for water and sanitation services, along with increased demand, is making it difficult to provide reliable water and sanitation services. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: The project aims to increase the provision of safe water supply and hygienic sanitation in selected rural areas of Bangladesh. It calls for scaling up piped and non-piped water facilities to provide safe and clean water to villagers in some 383 Union Parishads (local governing units) with acute arsenic contamination and low coverage for safe water supply. The project also seeks to provide hygienic sanitation facilities, and is financing the construction of 35 piped water supply schemes and 14,000 water point sources in hot-spot upazilas (subdistricts) where piped water supply is not economically possible. To fight the poor sanitation, it intends to provide financial incentives for the poor to construct hygienic latrines, build local private-sector capacity so that markets can better react to rise in demand; and increase the government’s role in ensuring that latrines are maintained and accessible to all. The project is financing installation of 50,000 latrines for selected poor households. ACHIEVED AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ 63,250 out of target 924,000 people in rural areas have been provided with access to improved water sources. ■■ 1,150 out of 14,000 improved community water points constructed under the project. ■■ 28,000 new piped household water connections to be provided from the project. ■■ 7,964 people out of 275,000 have been provided with access to hygienic latrines. ■■ Total 71,214 direct project beneficiaries out of target 1.2 million people in rural areas have been provided with access to improved water sources and hygienic latrines. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Department of Public Health Engineering. KEY PARTNERS: Not applicable. 40 RURAL ELECTRIFICATION AND RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT II KEY DATA: Original Credit Approved: Sep 20, 2012. Additional Financing Approved June 19, 2014 Effective: Feb 20, 2013. Closing: Dec 31, 2018 FINANCING ($ MILLION): Financier Financing Disbursed Undisbursed Financier Financing Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 233.4 55% 45% IDCOL 14.1 BCCRF 10 7.93% 92.07% USAID 7.6 41.95% 58.05% KfW 10.7 GPOBA 16.1 6.83% 93.17% Local Beneficiaries 47.9 NGO/Private Sector 89.1 Funding Gap 6.2 Total cost 435 PROJECT BACKGROUND: Only about 45 percent of rural households in Bangladesh have access to grid electricity, and even these consumers suffer frequent and prolonged power cuts. Currently, electricity supply is about 6,500-7,000 megawatts (MW), against a peak demand of about 8,500 MW. The dispersed nature of rural settlements and the numerous rivers that crisscross the country make grid electrification in many areas of Bangladesh both difficult and expensive. Despite steady progress in enhancing coverage, it is clear that reliance on grid electricity alone will not allow the Bangladeshi government to realize its vision of universal access to electricity by 2021. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: The second Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Development (RERED) project aims to increase access to clean energy in rural areas of Bangladesh. It builds on the success of RERED I by supporting solar home systems and other renewable energy options in remote rural areas, where grid electricity is not economically or geographically viable. The World Bank initiative led to support from other donors, with more than 40,000 solar homes systems now being installed every month to make it the fastest-growing solar home systems program in the world. The implementing agency is the Infrastructure Development Company Ltd. (IDCOL), a government-owned financing institution, and 47 partner organizations (mostly non-government organizations) are installing solar home systems through a micro-credit scheme The project is also supporting renewable energy-based mini-grids, solar irrigation pumps (replacing diesel pumps), dissemination of improved cook stoves, and biogas digesters for cooking following the same implementation model as that of the solar home systems. RESULTS: ■■ Provided 3.77 million remote households and rural shops with solar home systems, with more than 40,000 systems now installed every month. ■■ Increased access to electricity in Bangladesh by 13 percent. Dissemination of improved cook stoves has started with a target of reaching one million rural house- holds. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: IDCOL, and Power Cell of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources. KEY PARTNERS: Asian Development Bank, Japanese International Cooperation Agency, KfW of Germany, the German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation, Islamic Development Bank, U.S. Agency for International Development, Global Partnership on Output-Based Aid, Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund. Bangladesh Country Snapshot 41 RURAL ELECTRICITY TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION KEY DATA: Approved: February 27, 2014 Effective: September 16, 2014 Closing: June 30, 2020 FINANCING ($ MILLION): Financier Financing Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 600 3.57% 96.43% Government 237 Total cost 837 PROJECT BACKGROUND: Only about 45 percent of rural households in Bangladesh have access to grid electricity, and even these consumers suffer frequent and prolonged power cuts. Currently, electricity supply is about 6,500-7,000 megawatts (MW), against a peak demand of about 8,500 MW. Despite the supply shortages, electricity availability and the number of consumers have grown steadily over the last decade because of reduced system loss and some added generating capacity. While the government and other sources made substantial investments to extend the rural low-voltage system network to support new connections, the rural medium-voltage distribution system and the associated transmission system received relatively less attention during the last decade of system load and grid expansion. As a result, the rural electricity system is now over-loaded and experiences frequent load-shedding, leading to higher technical losses and services interruptions. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: The objective is to reduce system losses and enhance capacity in the rural distribution network, primarily in the eastern part of Bangladesh. The project aims to rehabilitate and augment the distribution network of the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) in support of reducing systems losses and enhancing capacity for carrying electricity when additional power generation is available. The project is also expected to support transmission enhancements by the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB). RESULTS: Construction work is yet to start. Procurement of line materials has started with $64 million of line materials either awarded or evaluation completed. Bid documents for sub-stations are in the final stage of preparation. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: BREB, PGCB. KEY PARTNERS: Not applicable. 42 SECOND LOCAL GOVERNANCE SUPPORT PROJECT KEY DATA: Approved: Nov 29, 2011 Effective: Feb 22, 2012 Closing: Nov 30, 2016 Women Participating in Project Meeting FINANCING ($ MILLION): Financier Financing Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 290 67% 33% GoB 255.4 Total cost 545.4 PROJECT BACKGROUND: Within Bangladesh’s public sector, local governments have always been relatively minor players, with a tiny share of sub-national expenditure to the total government expenditure and a more trivial percentage of the total government revenue collected. Nonetheless, local governments – especially at the lowest tiers – are key features of the governance landscape. In recent initiatives, successive governments have affirmed their intent to devolve powers to lower levels and allocate more autonomy and resources to local governments. Changes have shown that empowered Union Parishads (UPs, the lowest tier of local governments) and engaged constituents can make effective decisions, both transparently and accountably. Consequently, there is an increasingly strong government-led push towards decentralization. The First Local Governance Support Project (LGSP I; $170 million), the first nationwide effort to strengthen the local government system in Bangladesh, has been successful in achieving its development objectives of strengthening local governments that provide accountable services, and has created the space for deeper decentralization reforms. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: The Second Local Governance Support Project (LGSP II), building upon the success of its preceding project LGSP I, aims to strengthen Union Parishads to become accountable and responsive, supported by an efficient and transparent intergovernmental fiscal system to Union Parishads. With a nationwide coverage to all 4,542 UPs (about 130 million people), LGSP II provides direct block grants to be distributed to the UPs with a clean audit issued by private auditors, along with full discretion to decide their spending priorities; and the project introduced a nationwide performance grant system with clear criteria and transparent assessment. Through a participatory process involving open planning and budget sessions, members can debate spending needs and question spending efficacy. The project strengthens the capabilities of UPs in participatory planning, budgeting, financial management and procurement, also ensures UPs are held accountable through independent audits and disclosure requirements. RESULTS: ■■ Disbursed an equivalent of $314.2 million through FY2015. Performance Based Grants disbursement (amount of $38.8 million) has been made to better per- forming UPs from FY2013 to FY2015. ■■ Established a comprehensive management information system for strengthening capacity of monitoring, evaluating and supervising local governments. ■■ Strengthened the UP Help Line for grievance redress and established over 400 functional Women’s Development Forums at the Upazila level. ■■ Enhanced capacity of UPs in managing their business in terms of preparing periodic plans and annual budgets, and selecting and implementing development schemes through a participatory process. Overall, a culture of accountability and transparency in service provision has been instilled at the local level. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Bangladesh Local Government Division, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development & Co-Operatives. KEY PARTNERS: U.N. Development Program, U.N. Capital Development Fund. Bangladesh Country Snapshot 43 SAFETY NET SYSTEMS FOR THE POOREST PROJECT KEY DATA: Approved: June 26, 2013 Effective: Nov 17, 2013 Closing: Dec 31, 2017 FINANCING: Financier Financing Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 500 10% 90% GoB 2,172 Total cost 2,672 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Despite remarkable progress in poverty reduction, extreme poverty in Bangladesh remains high, with large numbers of people vulnerable to systemic shocks. The Government of Bangladesh recognizes that shocks and vulnerability are mainstream problems for the poor and currently implements several safety net programs as response measures. Well- designed and implemented safety nets not only reduce poverty and vulnerability but have shown to improve women’s well being. Yet despite the numerous ongoing interventions, large numbers of poor people remain out of reach of safety nets. There is a scope for better targeting of benefits in some of the largest programs, improving delivery mechanisms and monitoring systems, as well as enhancing accountability measures. Cognizant of these challenges, the Ministry of Disaster Management & Relief (MoDMR), which implements approximately one-third of the country’s social protection budget, is currently utilizing International Development Association resources to improve performance of its major programs. The Statistics & Informatics Division (SID) is also supporting this process, given its mandate to develop a national poverty database towards better targeting of social assistance, which in the medium term is also expected to improve the quality of a significant portion of public expenditure on safety net programs. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: The Safety Net Systems for the Poorest (SNSP) project aims to improve the equity, efficiency, and transparency of major social safety net programs to benefit the poorest households. The project comprises three components, namely: Component 1: Support to MoDMR Safety Net Programs by providing performance-based partial reimbursement of government spending under selected safety net programs. Component 2: Strengthening of MoDMR Program Administration & Transparency by providing resources to improve implementation quality, including the development of management information systems, beneficiary outreach and engagement strategies, and training, towards the achievement of higher-level objectives. Component 3: Development of the Bangladesh Poverty Database by providing resources to conduct a nationwide census, establish a comprehensive targeting system, and contribute to improving coordination among various safety nets implemented by different ministries. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS ■■ Improved targeting of financial resources of major safety net programs. ■■ Improved field level implementation and monitoring capacity for major safety net programs. ■■ Approved operations manual for nationwide data collection for the Bangladesh Poverty Database (BPD). ■■ Preparatory activities underway for phase-wise data collection for the BPD. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Department of Disaster Management (Components 1 & 2) and Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (Component 3). KEY PARTNERS: UK’s Department of International Development – providing resources for monitoring safety net implementation performance and progress towards achieving project development objective results indicators. 44 SECONDARY EDUCATION QUALITY AND ACCESS ENHANCEMENT PROJECT KEY DATA: Approved: Jul 31, 2008 Effective: Sep 4, 2008 Closing Date: Dec 31, 2017 FINANCING ( $ MILLION): Financier Financing Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 395.60 50% 50% GoB 40.0 Total Cost 435.6 PROJECT BACKGROUND: Special measures taken over the last couple of decades have enabled more Bangladeshi children than before, especially girls, to continue their education at the secondary level. But it still remains a challenge for children from low-income families to access a good-quality education in Bangladesh. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: The Secondary Education Quality and Access Enhancement Project (SEQAEP) aims to improve the quality of secondary education in Bangladesh, systematically monitor learning outcomes and increase access and equity in 215 project upazilas (sub-districts). The project provides stipends and tuition to disadvantaged girls and boys based on proxy means-testing (PMT), in addition to incentives to students, teachers, and schools in 215 upazilas to encourage them to perform better. Eligible students receive stipends of $15 to $40 a year if they maintain 75 percent average attendance, achieve a passing grade in final examinations and remain unmarried until they complete Grade 10. The project also includes measures to provide water and sanitation facilities in schools, and strengthen school management and accountability systems while helping to develop stronger reading habits. Financial rewards are given to the teachers and institutions that consistently increase the number of students appearing in and passing the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations. RESULTS: ■■ The pass rate in SSC examinations was higher than 85 percent. ■■ Supported 6.5 million student-years (55 percent girls) under the stipends program. ■■ More than 2,700 institutions were supported under the SSC institution award. ■■ Awarded more than 139,000 students for academic performance while supporting some 448,000 students in English and mathematics and about 968,000 students in developing a reading habit. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, Ministry of Education KEY PARTNERS: Agrani Bank, Bishwo Shahitto Kendro, Local Government and Engineering Department, Directorate of Public Health and Engineering. Bangladesh Country Snapshot 45 SECOND RURAL TRANSPORT IMPROVEMENT PROJECT KEY DATA: Approved: Sep 20, 2012 Effective: Nov 28, 2012 Closing: Apr 30, 2018 FINANCING ($ MILLION): Financier Financing Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 302 21% 79% GoB 115 Total Cost 417 PROJECT BACKGROUND: Despite a wide road network and large investments in it, rural roads in Bangladesh need regular repair and rehabilitation. The quality, construction, and carrying capacity of parts of the secondary and tertiary road network are poor. In 2000, only 37 percent of the population lived within two kilometers (km) of an all-season road. About 13,000 km of upazila (sub-district) roads (out of 36,500 km) were all-weather standard, and most of the rural union roads remained unpaved. As a result, large portions of the secondary and tertiary road network remained impassable during the rainy season. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: The second Rural Transport Improvement Project (RTIP II) aims to improve rural accessibility in project areas (covering 26 districts), and to strengthen institutional capacity for sustainable rural road maintenance. It builds on the success of RTIP 1, which covered more than 44,000 square km in 21 districts, in developing rural trade and transport infrastructure by focusing on the physical improvements of inter-linked roads, small bridges and culverts, growth center markets, and river jetties. The project’s improved roads, many built by destitute women, make it easier for children to go to school, expectant mothers to reach hospitals in an emergency, and local farmers and consumers to reach markets. It also has contributed to developing a comprehensive rural road transport safety framework to help reduce the alarming number of injuries and fatalities, and expanded coverage to improve road connectivity in the countryside RESULTS: ■■ RTIP II has completed a total of 1,650 km of roads (against a target of 3,583 km).. ■■ 114 km of performance-based maintenance contract roads have been completed (a fourth of the target length of 450 km). ■■ Work on one pilot inland waterway and 16 Growth Centre Markets is ongoing. ■■ Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) has signed most of the consultancy contracts under the institutional strengthening and capacity building and governance component of the project. Implementation of those contracts is either ongoing or completed.. KEY PARTNERS: LGED. 46 SIDDHIRGANJ POWER PROJECT KEY DATA: Approved: : Oct 30, 2008 Effective: Mar 31, 2009 Closing: June 30, 2018 FINANCING ($ MILLION): Financier Financing Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 350 70% 30% GoB 120 Total Cost 470 PROJECT BACKGROUND: Electricity demand in Bangladesh has increased at an average rate of 10 percent per annum in recent years, with peak demand reaching about 9,250 megawatts (MW). Yet per capita generation remains among the lowest in the world (294 kilowatt hours), and present generation capability at 8,000 MW falls far short of peak demand. Although the supply situation has improved recently, load shedding and outages occur in irrigation/summer season that affect households, commercial enterprises, and industries. The sector is financially weak, access to capital is severely constrained and prices do not cover costs, necessitating large government subsidies to keep the key institutions operational. Increasing shortages of natural gas, the primary fuel for power generation, have added to the sector’s challenges. PRIMARY DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: The Siddhirganj Power Project aims to increase electricity supply to the Bangladesh power-grid network by constructing a 335 MW combined cycle power plant, (CCPP) as well as an 11-kilometer 230-kilovolt power evacuation system, and a 60 km 30-inch gas transmission pipeline. The combined cycle design of the power plant is a comparatively cleaner technology with lower carbon emissions and higher thermal efficiency. EXPECTED RESULTS: In November of this year, the simple cycle power plant is expected to add 217 MW of electricity generating capacity to the national grid. The balance of plant of the combined cycle is scheduled to complete in August 2016 when it will add total 335 MW capacity to the grid. Construction of the power evacuation system is complete, and it is transferring 235 MW of electricity from the other power plants of Siddhirganj to the greater Dhaka area. The gas line is almost complete and has improved the gas supply situation in the Siddhirganj region. The government is working to secure an additional $165 million to finance the additional capital cost of the CCPP and associated supports. IMPLEMENTING AGENCIES: Electricity Generation Company of Bangladesh, Gas Transmission Company Ltd., and Power Grid Company of Bangladesh. KEY PARTNERS: Not applicable. Bangladesh Country Snapshot 47 SKILLS AND TRAINING ENHANCEMENT PROJECT KEY DATA: Approved: June 10, 2010 Effective: Aug 22, 2010 Closing: June 30, 2016 PDO and IP ratings: S,S FINANCING ($ MILLION): Financier Financing Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 79 78% 22% GoB 9 Total cost 88 TF 15 44% 56% INTRODUCTION: The Bangladesh economy has been registering steady economic growth of around 6 percent over the past decade. As local and global economic shifts continue toward industry and services, demand for skilled manpower is expected to rise at home and abroad. Bangladesh is a labor-surplus country, so the government is increasingly focusing on workforce development through technical and vocational education training (TVET). This is a timely response as the country prepares to accommodate and capitalize on the ongoing demographic dividend. However, poor training quality, low employability, and inadequate wages plague the TVET sector, requiring interventions for addressing these issues. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE: The project aims to strengthen selected public and private training institutions to improve training quality and employability of trainees, including those from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The project is designed to address the key issues concerning TVET in a number of ways: ■■ Ensuring that the programs offered are relevant to labor market needs by incorporating views from industries and civil society. ■■ Helping to ensure teacher-trainer vacancies open for six months or more are filled. ■■ Supporting both public and private institutions, thereby creating a level playing field. The project breaks new ground in this way. ■■ Providing incentives. Based on performance indicators, training institutions will receive a $200,000 performance grant, on top of their initial implementation grant of up to $1 million. Institutions providing short courses receive $250 per student, of which $60 is stipend to the student. In addition, a 20 percent per student amount performance grant is offered to the institute for each trainee who is employed within six months of completing training. ■■ Providing stipends to students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. Those receiving a stipend must maintain 75 percent annual attendance and 45 percent pass marks in the annual examinations. RESULTS: ■■ 96, 345 diploma students from 93 polytechnic institutions (43 of which are public) received stipends. The share of female beneficiaries increased from 10 to 15 percent after a universal female stipend.was adopted. ■■ 980 full-time contractual teachers deployed in 50 public polytechnics, filling 95 percent of vacant teaching posts. ■■ 46,076 people, 25 percent of them women, received training from these providers.. ■■ Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), a program that certifies informal workers who have acquired skills from job experience or any other non-formal source, has been operationalized. Around 2,000 individuals have been assessed through RPL. KEY PARTNERS: Directorate of Technical Education, Bangladesh Technical Education Board, Bangladesh Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training; Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Canada. 48 STRENGTHENING PUBLIC EXPENDITURE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM (SPEMP) KEY DATA: Financing: $110.9 million multi-donor trust fund RECIPIENT EXECUTED PROJECTS (ACTIVE): Approved Closing Strengthening the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General’s Office May 29, 2011 June 30, 2016 Strengthening Parliamentary Oversight Aug.30, 2010 Dec. 31, 2015 PROGRAM BACKGROUND: The main public financial management challenges are the development of a comprehensive, automated financial management information system with appropriate controls, the development of a new chart of accounts, low levels of professional budgeting, accounting and auditing capacity, a dual budgeting process, lack of timeliness in preparing audit reports and low capacity for budget oversight, and low levels of fiscal transparency. To address these challenges in a harmonized manner, five partners came together to establish a trust fund in 2008. To date, $101 million has been received. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES AND COMPONENTS: The Strengthening Public Expenditure Management Program seeks to: (i) strengthen and modernize budget management institutions within the Government of Bangladesh, with a particular emphasis on introducing a performance orientation in public financial management; and (ii) improve the effectiveness of formal institutions of financial accountability through strengthening both the capacity of the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (OCAG) and the functioning of parliament bodies that deal with allocation and monitoring of government resources. The program financed: ■■ The now-closed Deepening Medium Term Budgeting Framework and Strengthening Financial Accountability project ($52.5 million), which aimed to improve the financial management information system, introduce a multi-year perspective to budget preparation, provide professional training, and strengthen the macro- fiscal framework. ■■ The Strengthening of the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General project ($13.03 million), which intends to enhance the quality, scope and follow-up of audits, and create a cadre of internationally accredited professionals in OCAG. ■■ The Strengthening Parliamentary Oversight project ($4.2 million), which provides technical support to the three financial oversight committees and the Parlia- mentary Secretariat. The series of advisory services and analytics activities are underway: developing macroeconomic forecasting capacity at the Finance Division; strengthening budget management preparation in four key line ministries; launching a Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) assessment; developing a new public financial management strategy and roadmap; launching the public investment management reform roadmap; and developing the government performance management system. The SPEMP Trust Fund will close on December 2016. RESULTS: ■■ Audit capacity strengthened, twinning arrangement signed between Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) of India and Bangladesh to generate greater collaboration between the two countries. ■■ 16 Financial Oversight Committee reports have been made available on the Parliament website against a target of 12. In addition, the new management informa- tion system is ready for user testing, ■■ Annual performance agreements (APAs) are completed for FY 2014/2015 and are currently under evaluation. FY 2015-2016 APAs being prepared. ■■ Training has been provided the macro forecasting wing of the Finance Division and the model further developed. ■■ PEFA assessment was launched. ■■ Technical assistance team has started inception phase for the supporting the budget preparation for four line ministries. IMPLEMENTING AGENCIES: OCAG. Parliamentary Secretariat KEY PARTNERS: U.K. Department for International Development, Canadian International Development Agency, European Union, Danish International Development Agency and the Government of Netherlands. Bangladesh Country Snapshot 49 STRENGTHENING REGIONAL COOPERATION FOR WILDLIFE PROTECTION IN ASIA KEY DATA: Approval: Apr 7, 2011 Effective: Jun 29, 2011 Closing: Dec 31, 2016 FINANCING ($ MILLION): Financier Financing Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 36 12.20 10.69 Note: Undisbursed figure reflects US$-SDR fluctuations. GoB Total Cost 36 PROJECT BACKGROUND: Illegal trade in wildlife is largely controlled by criminal gangs that poach flagship species, such as tigers and elephants in one country, stockpile them in another, and then trade them beyond the South Asia region. Thus, no single country can manage or eliminate poaching or the illegal wildlife trade on its own. Since wild animals cannot be confined to national boundaries, a single country also cannot manage a contiguous cross-border wildlife habitat effectively. This makes the control of the illegal trade of wildlife and wildlife parts a challenging multi-country affair. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: The project aims to assist participating governments in building or enhancing shared capacity, institutions, knowledge and incentives to collaborate on tackling the illegal wildlife trade and other selected regional conservation threats to habitats in border areas. It has a two-pronged approach that calls for: (i) capacity building to address the illegal wildlife trade through regional cooperation; and (ii) habitat protection and management to generate regional conservation benefits and address the human-wildlife conflict. Components are: ■■ Building capacity to address the illegal trans-boundary wildlife trade by bringing about regional collaboration in combating wildlife crime through strengthened legislative and regulatory frameworks and well-equipped specialized agencies and systems, as well as relevant training and awareness programs for staff responsible for enforcement of wildlife laws and regulations. Bangladesh and Nepal are participating in the first phase (with the Nepal project amounting to $3 million) and Bhutan joined in the second phase. ■■ Promoting wildlife conservation in Asia through establishing a virtual regional center of excellence; improving existing park infrastructure; conducting species monitoring and recovery programs; preparing and implementing endangered species recovery plans; protecting inviolate areas for species conservation; implementing real-time field-based monitoring systems; developing landscape scale imaging platforms; strengthening enforcement of laws and regulations; and carrying out innovative research projects in wildlife conservation. RESULTS: ■■ Drafted 18 rules for operationalization of Wildlife Conservation Act, 2010. ■■ Established a 24-hour hotline for reporting of illegal wildlife trafficking and other wildlife-related crimes to the Wildlife Crime Control Unit (WCCU) at the Forest Department Headquarter and Divisional Offices. ■■ WCCU arrested 375 wildlife offenders and rescued 6,183 birds, 9,539 reptiles, and 177 mammals. ■■ Completed the first census of Bengal tigers in the Sundarbans through a collaborative effort with the Wildlife Institute of India; estimated a tiger population of 106 in the Sundarbans using camera trapping method. ■■ Declared two Vulture Safe Zones in Bangladesh. ■■ Commenced implementation of 36 sub-projects aiming at improving the management of protected areas, conservation of flagship species and reduce human-wildlife conflict. ■■ Completed five Protected Area Management Plans and three Eco-Tourism Management Plans. ■■ Organized first regional thematic meeting on “institutional arrangements for wildlife crime control” in 2015. ■■ Provided support to the second Global Tiger Stock Taking Conference hosted by the Forest Department in 2014. ■■ Completed training on combating wildlife crime by 812 officials, certificate course on wildlife management by 30 Bangladesh Forest Department (BFD) officials and post graduate diploma by five officials at the Wildlife Institute of India. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: BFD. KEY PARTNERS: Not applicable. 50 THIRD PRIMARY EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM KEY DATA: Approved: July 31, 2011 Effective: Dec 7, 2011 Closing: Dec 31, 2017 FINANCING ($ MILLION): Financier Financing Disbursed Undisbursed Original IDA Credit 300 87.95% 12.05% Original Total cost 8,310 Additional Financing 400 0% 100% Revised Total Cost 9,810 PROGRAM BACKGROUND: Bangladesh had made remarkable progress in primary education in the last decade. The net enrollment rate (NER) reached around 98 percent while the gross enrollment rate (GER) reached above 108 percent in 2014, and gender parity was achieved. The completion rate was 79 percent in 2014 and the survival rate to Grade 5 is 81 percent. Despite the impressive progress, transition rate to secondary level remain a concern. Poverty along with educational background of the family, remoteness of the society, and distance from the school, were the main reasons for dropping out. The quality of education remained a bigger concern; many schools were overcrowded, while teacher qualifications and motivation remained low and exams mostly tested memory recall and rote learning. PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: The Third Primary Education Development Program (PEDP3) aims at increased participation and reduced social disparities in primary education, increased completion of primary education, improved quality of the learning environment, systematic assessment of student learning, and improved effectiveness of resource utilization at the primary education sector. The program has introduced a comprehensive set of reforms to upgrade the quality of learning for all children at the primary and preprimary level, strengthened capacity to provide high-quality data and utilization of information for effective results monitoring, brought disadvantaged children into pre-primary and primary education, and developed mechanisms for the public and private sectors to work more closely together in education service delivery. The program builds on the experience and successes of previous programs but stands out from them because its financing is linked to specific results being achieved on the ground. Funds are disbursed when disbursement-linked indicators (DLIs) covering nine areas are met. The DLIs for quality enhancement cover: (i) development of an 18-month diploma program and teacher training; (ii) the development and incremental introduction of competency-based examinations; (iii) merit-based teacher and head teacher recruitment; and (iv) timely distribution of textbooks (within a month of the start of the academic calendar), including an updated curriculum. The DLIs supporting reduction in disparities include: (i) the widespread introduction of pre-primary education, especially in disadvantaged areas; and (ii) needs-based infrastructure development to reduce overcrowding in schools and improve the quality of the facilities as well as school-level planning. Two other DLIs are set for enhanced sector financing and effective program monitoring and reporting. The World Bank is also the supervising entity for a Global Partnership for Education grant of $100 million for PEDP3. RESULTS: ■■ 31 out of the 36 DLIs met to date. ■■ Completion of two rounds of the National Student Assessment (Grades 3 and 5) in 2011 and 2013. ■■ Large-scale tryout of revised textbooks and teachers’ editions (all subjects, Grades 1-5). ■■ Teacher recruitment and deployment completed according to merit-based recruitment procedures and on needs basis. ■■ International standard diploma in education piloted and expanded nationwide (accredited by the University of Dhaka). ■■ Launch of an on-line data collection and management system to help in the preparation of an online Annual Primary School Census and testing real time availability of the data. ■■ Use of existing country system and fiduciary arrangements. ■■ Launch of nationwide electronic government procurement for construction works. ■■ Over 90 percent of primary schools received textbooks within the first month of the academic year and the textbook distribution process is satisfactorily monitored through third party validation. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Directorate of Primary Education, Ministry of Primary and Mass Education. KEY PARTNERS: Asian Development Bank, UK’s Department of International Development, EuropeanUnion, Department of Foreign Affairs Trade and Develoment Canada, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Japanese International Cooperation Agency,, and UNICEF. Bangladesh Country Snapshot 51 WATER MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENT PROJECT KEY DATA: Approved: September18, 2007 Effective: November 26, 2007 Closing: June 30, 2016 FINANCING: Financier Financing Disbursed Undisbursed IDA Credit 94 92% 8% GoB 8.8 70% 30% Dev Partners 2.6 100% Total cost 105.4 PROJECT BACKGROUND: Bangladesh is the terminal floodplain delta of three large rivers: the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, and the Meghna – with over 90 percent of their catchment areas situated outside the country. Each year during the monsoon season, 20 percent to 30 percent of Bangladesh is flooded. While this creates opportunities for highly productive farming and fishing systems, these are balanced by the risks of deep flooding, erosion, and drainage. By contrast, in the post-monsoon period, soil-moisture content declines rapidly and the water deficit needs to be compensated by irrigation. Salinity intrusion, water-logging and the arsenic contamination of groundwater aquifers further exacerbate the problem. Much work has been done in recent decades to prepare for disasters, but water management remains a critical issue. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE AND COMPONENTS: The Water Management Improvement Project (WMIP) aims to enhance water resources management in Bangladesh by upgrading infrastructure and institutions through rehabilitating damaged water infrastructure, piloting the role of local communities and enhancing the institutional performance of the principal water institutions, particularly the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) and the Water Resource Planning Organization (WARPO). It supports the government’s goal to decentralize the authority of the BWDB and hand over its management responsibilities to community organizations, where feasible. By taking the emphasis off flood control and focusing more on water management, the project shifts responsibility from technicians and bureaucrats to a wide variety of community stakeholders who may participate at any stage of the project development cycle. It also aims to rehabilitate the BWDB schemes damaged by the 2007 floods, and later by a 2009 cyclone, and to reform government institutions involved in the water sector by improving governance and transparency to enhance their ability to better manage water systems. RESULTS: ■■ Repair or reconstruction of 716 kilometers (km) of embankments, 315 water control structures, 41 km of protective works and 341km re-excavation of canals. ■■ 500,000 households directly benefitted. ■■ Creation of 12 million person-days of employment. ■■ Formation of 785 Water Management Organizations (WMOs). ■■ National Water Resources Database (NWRD) and Integrated Coastal Resources Database (ICRD) have been updated. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Not applicable. KEY PARTNERS: BWDB, WARPO. 52