It is a presentation on the Urban Development work being done by Christian Aid in Bangladesh

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ChristianAid Bangladesh:
Program on Urban
Development
British Academy Workshop on
Cities, Corporates and Communities: Social Responsibilities for
Sustainable Cities
Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
November 24-25, 2016
Shakeb Nabi
Country Director, Christian Aid Bangladesh
snabi@christian-aid.org

2. Bangladesh: The Context
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3. The Context
Among top five climate vulnerable countries (IPCC):
The new disasters
6th
largest density of population in the world
Population below poverty line: 26.5%. Poverty
increasing in terms of numbers
Extreme poor: 18% (World Bank)
HDI: 142 among 187 (HDI Report)
GINI Co-efficient: 32.12 (2010), 25.88 (1983), 33.14
(2000) world Bank). High but stable since the last 10
years.
Recently declared as a middle income country.
Aspiring to be a developed country by 2041 3

4. The Context
Per Capita Income: $ 923 (BBS, 2014)
Average per capita education: 5.1 years (World
Bank)
Gender development index: 107th
Poverty pockets (urban, coastal and river basin)
Participation in economy: Male (83%), Female
(59%)
Population 162 million: 8th
most populous country
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5. The Context
Urbanization: 40% of the population in
Dhaka in urban slums
Corruption Perception Index (CPI): 136th
among 177: TI
Remittance: 17.3 percentage of the Gross
National Income. $ 14 billion (2013)
Employment by sectors: agriculture – 50%,
Industry - 30%, Service - 10%
By 2030 more than half the population will
be in Urban areas (Hossain, 2011) 5

6. Context: Dhaka
One of the megacities: Population around 17 million
Hyper-cities with more than 20 million population
One of the fastest growing cities in the world 2.2
million (1975), 12.3 million (2000), 17 Miilion (2016).
Project around 25 million in 2025. Ten times during
the last 50 years whereas Bangladesh overall thrice
during the last 50 years
13943 slums across Bangladesh, 3399 in Dhaka,
(BBS, 2015)
60% of the urban population live in slums in
Bangladesh (HDR South Asia, 2014)
GINI Co-efficient: Dhaka is 37, Delhi 33 6

7. 48% of the population of Dhaka below poverty line and 32%
hard core poverty line (Nahiduzzaman, 2006)
40% of the national urban population in Dhaka (Ahsan et al,
2010)
Slums and squatters occupy only 5.1 % of the Dhaka land
area but host to around 40% of the population (CUS, 2006)
Net attendance for secondary education Bangladesh 49%
while Dhaka slums 18% (UNICEF, 2010)
Urban Population 5% in 1971 to 27% in 2007 (UNICEF 2010)
Export revenue: garment (80%)
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8. Reason for Urban Population
Growth
Concentration of wealth and employment opportunities in the
urban areas
Increased pressure on agriculture land and land fragmentation
Displacement of people due to the impact of climate change
(salinity, loss of land by river erosion)
Migration as a strategy to escape from poverty and
vulnerability
People on an average living on the river islands are displaced
atleast 7 times during their life cycle
Migration: The women goes to the garment factories and the
men to the brick kilns
Urban periphery as a dumping ground for urban poor
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10. Source: EIU Livability Index 2015 (Dhaka just above Syria)
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11. SINCE1972
Christian Aid hasbeen working in Bangladesh
through partners
In 2000, registered in Bangladesh >> direct presence

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27 most vulnerable
districts
Southern coastal region
North-west flood areas
Haor (wetland)
Central flood areas
WHERE WE WORK
Around 10 funding
partners
Around 25
implementing agency
or local partners

13. Establishing
Entitlement
Strengthening
Livelihoods
Diversifying
Livelihoods
Social Protection
Climate Change
Adaptation
Access
to
M
arkets
Advocacy
Em
pow
ering
Com
m
unity
PVCA
Programme Intervention
Framework
Inclusion and
Intersectionality

14. Our Target Community
People living in urban peripheries
People living in urban slums: Non notified:
Invisible
Identity; entitlements; social safety net
programs; basic services
People who are intersections between
economic status, Caste and Gender: Dalits
Lack of social network/social & political
capital
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15. Title of the Action
Promoting enhanced participation and
empowerment of Dalit communities in
Bangladesh with an evidence base for
realization of Dalit Human Rights and
Entitlements
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16. Problem Statement
Dalits suffer from several structural development impediments
which keep them in the cycle of poverty and remains excluded
from their fundamental socio-economic and democratic rights
and entitlements.
The social and economic exclusion on the basis of social
identities is prevalent in many parts of Bangladesh and it
portrays the state and non-state actors’ failure to take
affirmative actions to ensure equality and non-discrimination.
Lack of clear understanding on the demographic and socio-
economic profiles of Dalits
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17. Definition
‘Dalits’: Means socially, economically and culturally excluded
and downtrodden and outcaste groups. "Discrimination Based
on Work and Descent": Distinction, exclusion, restriction, or
preference based on inherited status such as caste, including
present or ancestral occupation, family, community or social
origin, name, birth place, place of residence, dialect and
accent that has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing
the recognition, enjoyment, or exercise, on an equal footing, of
human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political,
economic, social, cultural, or any other field of public life.
This type of discrimination is typically associated with the
notion of purity and pollution and practices of untouchability,
and is deeply rooted in societies and cultures where this
discrimination is practiced.
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18. Overall Objective
To establish and strengthen the rights and
entitlements of Dalit communities through
identification, recognition, promotion and
protection
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19. Specific Objectives
To create an evidence base on socio-economic and
demographic features for the Dalit population
To enhance the lawful demand of Dalit communities through
engagement of civil society, government and media to support
them in ensuring their social, economic and democratic rights
as recommended in the Universal Periodic Review of
Bangladesh.
To establish and strengthen community based organizations,
Dalit Human Rights Defenders to help meet the unmet basic
needs and entitlements of Dalit communities.
To strengthen the capacities and evolve civil society
mechanisms for recognition, security and protection of Dalit
communities, CBOs, DHRDs and networks
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20. Key Result Areas
A demographic and socio-economic baseline document for the
Dalit population endorsed by government line ministries, human
rights commission, CSOs and NGOs in Bangladesh
Government, Civil society, mass media, think-tanks and general
people are aware of the significance of Dalit human rights
Improved leadership and human rights defending capacity among
female and male members of Dalit communities in the targeted
areas
Increased participation of Dalit communities in decision making
processes through Community Based Organizations and
networks
Skills and Employment
Capture lessons learnt from project implementation and share
good practices among civil society, policy makers, media and
relavant stakeholders 20

21. Key Indicators
Support for the draft anti-discrimination Act
Positive actions by national and local governments
to uphold the rights and entitlements of Dalit
communities
Increased budgetary allocations for the welfare of
Dalit Communities
At least 125 incidences of Dalit Human rights
violation in Bangladesh profiled at national level
Livelihoods expansion/diversification through skills
and employment
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24. Corporate Social Responsibility
Bangladesh is one of the major cloth manufacturing hub
Around 3.5 million women are employed in garment sector
Total around 5 million
Most of the brands have their SCR wings (C&A, H&M,
George)
Inclination to work with the civil society organization. More
after the Rana Plaza Tragedy
Mismatch of mandate: Tangible/countable/handouts V/s RBA,
governance issues.
Not much inclined to move out of their catchment area and
catchment community
CSR Act on the anvil. Similar to India
Corporates have initiated the CSR platform
NGOs rightly placed to act as an interface between the
community and the corpoerates
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25. Thank YOU
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