Project Profile
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Duration: Four years (1999-2003)
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Collaborator: UNFPA
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Objectives

One of the major constraints of the population policy pursued by successive governments in Bangladesh over the years had been a narrow focus given to the subject and predominance of short-term perspective which informed the debate relating to the subject. Population policy has traditionally continued to be confined to the narrow limits of population stabilisation through fertility reduction. This is not to say that the approach to the problem has not undergone some important changes in recent years. A shift away from narrow family planning to a broad-based reproductive health approach has indeed happened but has essentially failed to capture the broad spectrum of issues which ought to be brought within the scope of the population discourse. This is necessary to project a holistic vision of the problem which could help the country to design and undertake strategic policy decisions in the population sector from a long-term perspective. As a matter of fact, the ICPD Programme of Action goes far beyond such a narrow focus on a reduction in fertility and includes a range of issues within its ambit covering the nexus between population and development. These include implications of demographic momentum and ageing, poverty, urbanisation, migration, population distribution, environment and utilisation of natural resources, engendering of macroeconomic policies and restructuring of social welfare, human rights, etc.

The major objective of the CPD-UNFPA programme is to strengthen Bangladesh's capacity to address key issues emerging in the light of the broadening of the population discourse mentioned above in the area of population and sustainable development.
 

Expected Research Output

Strengthened institutional and technical capabilities of CPD in delivering the following interrelated set of outputs:

• Broaden the scope of Bangladesh's population policy.
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• Sensitise the stakeholders about critical issues which should inform the population discourse in Bangladesh through dialogues, discussions and seminars.
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• Enhance endogenous research capacity in Bangladesh in the area of population by commissioning research work which focuses on important population correlates.
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• Provide policy inputs to the Government of Bangladesh (GOB).
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• Build up a resource centre for maintaining a collection of research and dialogue outputs and also disseminate research results through publications and networking.

 

Output/Publication CPD Dialogue Reports:

CPD Dialogue Report No. 15: Population and Sustainable Development (September 1999).

CPD Dialogue Report No. 16: Population, Development and Urbanisation: The Emerging Issues (September 1999).

CPD Dialogue Report No. 23: Ageing in Bangladesh: Issues and Challenges (May 2000).

CPD Dialogue Report No. 27: Fertility Behaviour in Bangladesh and West Bengal: A Comparative Study, (June 2000).

CPD Dialogue Report No. 28: Dialogue on Population and Sustainable Development: Selected Issues of Greater Chittagong, (July 2000).

CPD Dialogue Report No. 39: Dialogue on Draft Population Policy of Bangladesh, (December 2000).

 

CPD-UNFPA Paper Series: