Bangladesh
The most densely populated country in the world besides city states, Bangladesh graduated to lower-middle-income country status in 2015. Over recent years, it has experienced sustained economic growth and achieved significant development gains, especially on universal primary education, gender parity in basic education and child and maternal mortality. Poverty and extreme poverty have been declining sharply, sitting in 2010 at 31.5 and 17.6 percent respectively, with further reductions until today.
However, despite progress and the improved availability of food due to increased production, 40 million people – one quarter of the population – remain food insecure, and 11 million suffer from acute hunger. Stunting – a condition induced by poor nutrition, with negative effects on a child’s physical growth and cognitive development – affects 36 percent of children under 5, with peaks of 50 percent among the poorest and those living in slums. In total, 5.5 million children under 5 are chronically malnourished.
What the World Food Programme is doing in Bangladesh
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Nutrition
WFP assists the Government in bringing nutrition indicators into line with national targets by 2020 by providing technical assistance, analysis and advocacy to enhance the nutrition impact of safety nets and promote the adoption of healthy eating habits. WFP also works to ensure the quality, affordability and consumption of fortified rice. The development of a national school meals policy and the scale up of assistance by the Government remains an area of focus.
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Humanitarian assistance
In Cox’s Bazar and the Chittagong Hill Tracts WFP provides or plans to provide an integrated assistance package – including electronic vouchers for food or livelihoods assistance, school meals and nutrition interventions – for registered and unregistered refugees from Myanmar as well as vulnerable people from the host communities. WFP also stands ready to provide emergency assistance to respond to acute food needs of vulnerable households affected by natural disasters, in coordination with the Government and other humanitarian agencies.
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Resilience building
To protect people’s livelihoods from recurrent natural disasters and improve resilience, WFP is researching and testing innovative tools, including insurance for small entrepreneurs and using forecast-based financing models to support shock-responsive safety nets. WFP also participates in a programme combining community disaster risk reduction with actions to address the causes of vulnerability, including economic access, women empowerment and nutrition.
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Capacity building for emergency preparedness
WFP is working to strengthen the Government’s capacity to prepare for, and respond to, large-scale disasters, with a special focus on urban readiness for earthquakes. WFP supports the Government in enhancing its supply chain for emergency assistance and establish a strategically-located, earthquake-resistant staging area to facilitate the reception and dispatch of humanitarian assistance in response to a large-scale emergency. WFP also co-leads and leads the Food Security Cluster and Logistics Cluster respectively, to ensure better coordination and preparedness in case of a disaster.
In focus
Bangladesh - Communiqués de presse
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Achieving Zero Hunger is the work of many. Our work in Bangladesh is made possible by the support and collaboration of our partners and donors, including:Contacts
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