UNICEF will provide $306 million financing to Bangladesh in next five years under its new country programme document (CPD) 2022-2026.

The Bangladesh-UNICEF country programme document 2022-2026 was signed at Economic Relations Division (ERD) on Sunday.

ERD Secretary Fatima Yasmin and UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh Sheldon Yett signed the document on behalf of their respective sides. 

High officials from ERD and UNICEF were present in the signing ceremony.

Fatima Yasmin expected that, the new CPD would significantly contribute to overall development of children and women in Bangladesh.

She acknowledged that the significant contribution of UNICEF in Bangladesh since 1971.

Sheldon Yett, the UNICEF Representative mentioned that, the commitment of UNICEF to child development remains at the heart of its work in Bangladesh and the document will address these issues.

Due to COVID-19 situation, the previous CPD was extended up to 31 December 2021.

The CPD 2022-2026 has six sectoral components: health; nutrition; education; child protection; water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH); and social protection.

The CPD 2022-2026 is fully aligned with and contributes to the government’s 8th Five Year Plan 2020-2025 and the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2022-2026. It will also focus on rapid recovery of COVID-19.

The outcome areas of this programme are,

Outcome 1 – Health: All children, adolescents and women have equitable access to and use quality, high-impact health services and adopt appropriate healthy life practices.

Outcome 2 – Nutrition: children under 5 years of age, adolescents and women of reproductive age access and utilize quality nutrition services in an equitable manner and adopt appropriate nutritional behaviour and care practices.

Outcome 3 – Education: girls and boys (4–18 years) access, appropriate nutritional behaviour and care practices.

Outcome 4 - Child protection: All children, including adolescents, are better protected from all forms of violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect and harmful traditional practices.

Outcome 5 - Water, sanitation and hygiene: Quality, equitable, resilient and sustainable WASH services and adopt appropriate hygiene behaviours and care practices.

Outcome 6 - Social protection and social policy: All children and their families benefit from quality, integrated, adaptive and child-sensitive social protection services.