UNB, Dhaka :
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) will continue to provide development assistance to Bangladesh keeping its total amount unchanged, including its spending on ‘democracy and governance’ area.
“…let me clarify, we do not intend to reduce,” Janina Jaruzelski, the new USAID Mission Director to Bangladesh, said here on Monday confirming that the spending on democracy and governance topic ‘will not be reduced’.
The new mission director said this at a press conference held at the American Centre in the city. US Ambassador in Dhaka Dan W Mozena and Press and Information Officer of the US Embassy Kelly S McCarthy were also present.
Jaruzelski, however, said they have a plan to ‘realign’ and ‘shift’ their programmes to make those ‘appropriate and effective’ in line with the ‘current political environment’.
Responding to a question, she said they expect to remain ‘very much same’ this year what it was last year it terms of amount of the money the USAID spends in Bangladesh. “…we spent approximately US$ 200 million last year and expect to do the same this year.”
On democracy and governance issue, Jaruzelski said they recognize that there are issues of governance and have programmes in those areas. “We expect to continue to have programmes in those areas.”
Before clarifying the matter on ‘democracy and governance’, she mentioned that they are refocusing on their democracy and governance programmes in light of what happened in the January 5 election and they, among other things, will be reducing assistance for parliament.
She also said they are currently working how the programmes could be best and refocused to see those most effective in line with the current situation. Jaruzelski mentioned that all programmes they conduct are constantly
re-examined and they are refocusing on democracy and governance programmes.
With a major focus on helping the poor and most vulnerable people, USAID also promotes responsive governance in Bangladesh by strengthening parliament and political parties, improving the accountability and transparency of the national audit authority and other key institutions and building the capacity of local governments to deliver health and other social services.
The USAID mission director said they are intending to maintain the overall level of the programmes that are targeted at the poor regardless of the political situation here.
Earlier in her opening remark, she said there are many challenges ahead for Bangladesh and one major challenge is improving childhood nutrition. “Yesterday, 41 percent of children under age five are deemed to be stunted – that is to say they suffer from the consequences of chronic malnutrition.”
Jaruzelski said stunting not only affects a child’s physical growth, but also his or her intellectual development and has far-reaching and long lasting impacts not only on health, but also on educational achievement and economic productivity.
