UN pledges $1.8 bln for Bangladesh development

(June 03, 2011) The United Nations signed an agreement on Wednesday with Bangladesh for $1.8 billion over the next five years to support the poor nation in addressing development problems. The agreement, known as the United Nations Development Assistance Framework 2012-2016, aims to help Bangladesh in achieving millennium development goals by focusing on various priority areas, the United Nations said in a statement. The areas include democratic governance and human rights, pro-poor growth, social services, food security, climate change, the environment, disaster risk reduction, urban development and gender equality. The U.N. resident coordinator in Bangladesh, Neal Walker, said through the plan, the United Nations wanted to help achieve concrete results for the country's most vulnerable people. Separately, the World Bank said it had approved a $359 million loan to support Bangladesh's efforts to improve health services, especially for women, children and the poor. Since 1990, infant and child mortality rates in Bangladesh had declined by more than two-thirds, the World Bank said. However, it said, significant development challenges still remain such as the percentage and number of malnourished women and children, which is among the highest in the world.