Project Profile

Duration: Four years (1999-2003)

Collaborator: UNFPA

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.
  
  
• Sensitise the stakeholders about critical issues which should inform the population discourse in Bangladesh through dialogues, discussions and seminars.
  
  
• Enhance endogenous research capacity in Bangladesh in the area of population by commissioning research work which focuses on important population correlates.
  
  
• Provide policy inputs to the Government of Bangladesh (GOB).
  
  
• 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:

• Paper 1:
  Nazrul Islam
  Urbanisation, Migration and Development in Bangladesh: Recent Trends and Emerging Issues (September, 1999).
  
  
• Paper 2:
  Ataharul Islam
  Population, Development and Environment: The Emerging Issues (September, 1999).
  
  
• Paper 3:
  K. Kabir
  Demographic and Economic Consequences of Aging in Bangladesh (December, 1999).
  
  
• Paper 4:
  Samad Abedin
  Social and Health Status of the Aged In Bangladesh (December, 1999)
  
  
• Paper 5:
  M.A. Mabud and Rifat Akhter
  Recent Shift in Bangladesh's Population Policy and Programme Strategies: Prospects and Risks, (July, 2000).
  
  
• Paper 6:
  Jyoti Prakash Dutta
  Impact of Development Programmes on Environment and Demographic Phenomena of the Ethnic Minorities of Chittagong Hill Tracts, (July, 2000).
  
  
• Paper 7:
  Ataharul Islam
  Population Momentum in Bangladesh, (July, 2000).
  
  
• Paper 8:
  Kazi Saleh Ahmed
  Projection of Population, Enrolment and Costs to the State of Primary, Secondary and Higher Secondary Education in Bangladesh for the Period 2000 - 2020, (July, 2000).
  
  
• Paper 9:
  M. Mazharul Islam
  Under-utilisation of Healthcare Services in Bangladesh: An Emerging Issue, (August, 2000).
  
  
• Paper 10:
  M. A. Mannan
  Female-Headed Households in Rural Bangladesh: Strategies for Well-Being and Survival, (September, 2000).
  
  
• Paper 11:
  Irshad Kamal Khan
  Socio-Economic Profile of Sex Workers of Chittagong, (October, 2000).
  
  
• Paper 12:
  Fahmida Akter Khatun
  Population and Environment in Bangladesh: Designing a Policy Accounting for Linkages, (November, 2000).
  
  
• Paper 13:
  Quazi Towfiqul Islam
  Defining Pro Poor Intervention in Urban Health an Sanitation with and Emphasis on NGOs Experience: The Case of Dhaka City, (November, 2000).
  
  
• Paper 14:
  Ataharul Islam
  The Proposed Population Policy of Bangladesh: Some Important Issues, (December, 2000).
  
  
• Paper 15:
  A K M Shafiul Islam
  Social Aspects of Aging in Bangladesh: A Case Study of Rajshahi City, (February, 2001).
  
  
• Paper 16:
  Haripada Bhattacharjee, Swapan K. Bala, Manik Lal Bose
  Effectiveness of Recent Policy for Unification of Health and Family Planning Service
  at Upazila Level and Below: Case Study of Two Upazilas (March,2001).
  
  
• Paper 17:
  M. Kabir, M A Salam
  The Effects of Various Interventions on the Welfare of the Elderly: Evidence from Micro-Study (April,2001).
  
  
• Paper 18:
  M Ataharul Islam, M Mazharul Islam,Nitai Chakraborty
  Achieving Replacement Level Fertility in Bangladesh: Challenges and Prospects (Nov 20, 2001).
  
  
• Paper 19:
  Tahmina Khatun,
  Gender-Related Development Index For 64 Districts of Bangladesh (October,2002).
  
  
• Paper 20:
  M A Mannan,
  Violence Against Women: Marital Violence in Rural Bangladesh (November, 2002).