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Development Cooperation

European Union and Bangladesh Partnership

The European Union and Bangladesh are long-standing partners. From tacking climate change to supporting access to quality education for all, we have been working together over the past 50 years to build a more equal, fairer and prosperous future for the country and its people.

With 166 million inhabitants crowded on 147,570 square kilometres, Bangladesh is the world's 8th most densely populated state and one of its most climate vulnerable countries.

Currently listed as a least developed country, Bangladesh has made considerable socio-economic progress since its independence in 1971, and is aspiring to graduate to middle income country status by 2026.

Main development challenges include the eradication of extreme poverty and child malnutrition, rising income inequalities, youth employability, environmental degradation resulting from rapid population growth and urbanisation, and women's socio-economic status. Bangladesh is also host to some 1 million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.

  • © European Union in Bangladesh

THE 2021-2027 MULTI-ANNUAL INDICATIVE PROGRAMME

EU-Bangladesh diplomatic relations were established in 1973. In 2001, a cooperation agreement was signed extending to trade, economic and development cooperation, human rights, good governance and the environment.

For the 2021-2027 period, our Multi-annual Indicative Programme (MIP) for Bangladesh prioritises three areas:

  • Human Capital Development - covering areas such as education, skills development, access to employment and social protection;
  • Green Inclusive Development - focusing on the energy sector and the overall environmental footprint;
  • Inclusive Governance - covering governmental and financial institutions, and the inclusion of girls and women.

In addition, the MIP covers cross-cutting issues of migration and forced displacement, security and human rights.

GLOBAL GATEWAY

Global Gateway is the European strategy to boost smart, clean and secure links in digital, energy and transport sectors, and to strengthen health, education and research systems across the world. It is fully aligned with the UN’s Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the Paris Agreement.

Global Gateway aims to mobilise up to €300 billion in investments in key areas such as quality education, green transition, sustainable growth and decent job creation.

Through a 'Team Europe approach', Global Gateway brings together the European Union, its 27 Member States and their financial and development institutions to mobilise the private sector to leverage investments for a transformational impact.

In Bangladesh, through Team Europe Initiatives, we are currently supporting actions on decent work and green energy transition. These are done in collaboration with Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, Italy, Spain, Denmark and Switzerland.

TEAM EUROPE INITIATIVES

Team Europe Initiative on Decent Work

Under the Team Europe Initiative on Decent Work, the European Union and its Member States share expertise, provide financial and technical support and facilitate an exchange of good practices to support the Government of Bangladesh in improving an enabling environment for jobs and labour rights, and ensuring access to skills development, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and employability.

The Team Europe Initiative on Decent Work focuses on two pillars:

1. Skills and employment -  ensuring that workers in Bangladesh have increased access to demand-driven skills training and job opportunities with the goals to support diversification of the economy, strengthen socio-economic mobility and increase domestic purchasing power.

2. Enabling environment for jobs and labour rights – ensuring that workers in Bangladesh are able to rely on consistent, cross-sectoral, rule-based workplace safety and protection, in line with minimum international standards.

Team Europe Initiative on Green Energy Transition

The Team Europe Initiative on Green Energy Transition aims at supporting Bangladesh to build a power system that leads to maximum coverage of the country's energy demand through renewable energy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption and demand through energy efficiency.

Its four pillars are:

1. Politics and society are aware of the importance of a low carbon development and support a low carbon power system;

2. An effective market for sustainable energy is in place, which sets the right incentives for the best technology at the right place;

3. The grid infrastructure is continuously optimised and, where necessary, expanded to integrate the growing share of variable renewable energy sources, while at the same time the grid operation and ancillary services are adapted to the changing power system
(smart grid);

4. Energy efficiency is enhanced in generation, distribution and private and commercial consumption.

See also