UN-HABITAT will start a new development project with the United Nations Development Programme and the Department for International Development (DfID) of the United Kingdom to help improve the living conditions of three million people living in abject poverty in Bangladeshi towns and cities. In a statement on Friday, the agency said the USD 120 million budget for the seven-year Urban Partnerships for Poverty Reduction (UPPR) programme would be allocated to help the poorest of the poor, especially women and girls, in 30 urban centres including the capital Dhaka. “The Urban Partnerships for Poverty Reduction project builds on the experiences of the earlier UNDP-funded Local Partnerships for Urban Poverty Reduction Project (2000-2007) formulated and implemented by UN-HBITAT,” said Mr. Jan Meeuwissen of the UN-HABITAT Fukuoka Office, who has been involved in both projects from the beginning. “This project aims to mobilise the urban poor communities to create healthy living environments and support urban poor families to acquire resources, knowledge and skills to increase their incomes and assets,” he added. Links to financial institutions, such as local banks and micro-finance bodies, to provide access to a wide range of financial services by community groups, including housing improvements and business development support, will also be provided through the project. The Bangladesh project also plans to deliver benefits to poor people through pro-poor urban policy. It will ensure that the implementation of pro-poor urban development and poverty-reduction strategies at town level influence policy development at the national level.
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