Bangladesh Resident Mission

Overview
A Partnership to End Poverty

Since its establishment in 1966, ADB, a multilateral development finance institution, has been pursuing a policy of supporting and assisting its developing member countries to actively take measures to reduce poverty.

Poverty reduction is the main thrust of ADB’s work in Bangladesh as well as in the whole of the Asia and Pacific region. ADB’s Poverty Reduction Strategy, adopted in 1999, highlights pro-poor, sustainable economic growth; social development; and good governance.

Its other four strategic objectives — promoting economic growth, supporting human development, protecting the environment, and improving the status of women — are pursued in ways that contribute effectively to reducing poverty. ADB also encourages private sector-led development and regional cooperation.

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Bangladesh became a member of ADB in 1973. It is the 13th largest shareholder among its regional members, and 20th among all shareholders with about 1.04% of total shares. Bangladesh has emerged as one of the largest borrowers of ADB’s concessional funds, with annual lending rising from $33 million in 1973 to $330 million in the 1990s.

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The Bangladesh Resident Mission (BRM) — ADB’s first resident office — was established in July 1982 to facilitate ADB’s operations in the country. Since then, BRM’s role has grown and evolved with that of ADB. In a recent decision by ADB to decentralize responsibilities, BRM has been chosen for maximum delegation. BRM’s operational functions include portfolio management, country programming, economic and sector work, project processing, aid coordination, cooperation with nongovernment organizations, and information dissemination.

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ADB shares with the Government of Bangladesh a common development goal, the underlying theme of which is poverty reduction. This is reflected in the Partnership Agreement on Poverty Reduction, signed between the Bangladesh Government and ADB in April 2000. The major highlights of the operational strategy of this partnership include building infrastructure, developing human resources, strengthening the private sector, fostering equal participation of women, and protecting the environment.

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Poverty can be reduced substantially if the poor are provided opportunities to participate in the nation’s growth process. ADB is assisting Bangladesh to achieve sustainable economic growth, which covers broad-based growth-promoting activities, including investing in physical and social infrastructure; promoting an environment program that supports environmentally sound development; and fostering private sector development. In promoting economic growth for sustainable poverty reduction, ADB also recognizes the importance of an enabling policy environment and good governance conditions. Over the years, ADB has provided numerous programs of assistance in support of policy reforms and good governance to the country to allow the poor to participate in the development process.

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Social development has emerged in recent years as a major focus of ADB, with particular emphasis on in-vesting in women and children to reduce disparity and poverty. Investing in education, training, and health improves the quality of life as well as sustains development over the long term through improved skills, productivity gains, and commitment to the development process. ADB’s operational focus on social infrastructure covers primary, secondary, and nonformal education; and urban primary health care.

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Poor people are both catalysts and victims of environmental degradation. ADB’s assistance in the public health and education sectors, and the provision of alternative sources of livelihood for the poor aim to reduce the need for the underprivileged to further deplete valuable natural resources — such as forests, biodiversity, and fisheries — for their livelihoods.

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ADB is especially concerned about designing solutions to problems that impede private sector growth and enhancing the private sector’s contribution to poverty reduction. Through its public sector operations, ADB creates enabling conditions for business and generates business opportunities in ADB - financed public sector projects. Simultaneously, ADB catalyzes private investments through direct financing, credit enhancement, and risk management instruments.

In Bangladesh, ADB continues to assist the Government in addressing the constraints affecting capital market development and its privatization efforts.

ADB’s assistance for investments in physical infrastructure — energy and transport sectors — is expected to help private businesses run more efficiently. ADB also makes efforts to foster public-private partnerships that will lower the risks and costs associated with large infrastructure projects.

ADB’s public sector projects offer specific opportunities for private sector participation and have a large impact on poverty reduction.

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ADB emphasizes strengthening institutional mechanisms for mainstreaming gender in all its development interventions. ADB supports programs and policies of the Government that generate benefits directly for women, such as the stipend program for girl students at the secondary level, microcredit program in livestock and other agricultural activities with women as the major beneficiaries, and primary health care for poor women and children living in urban areas.

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Learn more about ADB's partnership with Bangladesh