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The aim of the proposed project is to support and strengthen District authorities and stakeholders to develop poverty reduction strategies, linked to the national PRS, in a concerted manner. The action will consist on a pilot basis in four districts of Rajshahi Division and the Sunamganj District – the geographical choice being made on the experience of the proposed executing organisations, Intercooperation and Change Maker, in these areas.

The purpose of the project aims more particularly at:

• Coordinating and harmonising a poverty monitoring system amongst relevant stakeholders, which includes procedure for data collection, gathering and management, sharing mechanisms, etc.
• Enhancing the effectiveness of poverty monitoring, including local capacities
• Making available and transparent the information for different tiers of stakeholders (Union, Sub-District, District, national level)
• Developing strategies for poverty reduction which combine both national objectives and local context
• Contributing to the national PRS M&E system
• Developing sustainable capacities within Government and Non-Government institutions in regard to above purposes

The project targets above all to develop local capacities in order to sustain the interventions, mainly through an “accompaniment process” and some more formal inputs, as well as promoting the District Administration as lead agent of the changes.

UN report on MDG in Bangladesh states that the population living below the poverty line declined by one percentage point a year in the 1990s and came down to 40 per cent by 2000, but it is not enough to achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG). Most of the incremental growth in the 1990s originated from what economists call the 'non-tradable' sectors, mainly services, construction and small-scale industry, a fact confirmed by the changing composition of the labor force – from farm activities to 'non-farm' activities. The driving forces behind this growth were acceleration in crop production, readymade garment industry and workers' remittance. In order to benefit the poor – who comprise nearly 40 per cent of the Bangladesh population – the incentive structure generated by macroeconomic policy must strike a balance between tradable (such as export production) and non-tradable (such as services and construction).

Although data show that even among the very poor there has been significant income growth and improved nutrition, Bangladesh’s poverty rate remains high, and the disparity between the poor and non-poor is increasing. With nearly half of its 138 million people living below the poverty line, Bangladesh still has the highest incidence of poverty in South Asia and the third highest number of poor people living in a single country after India and China.

PRS monitoring and evaluation has been stated one of the important agenda in implementing PRSP. Monitoring and evaluation is important because of proper implementation, accountability and transparency, to track the success of PRS and MDGs. According to experts, understanding, commitment and capacity to implement the mechanism plays a critical role in the PRS monitoring. Engagement of local civil society organizations and the local government/administration the process is considered as key to success in this regard.

So far, 4 institutional arrangements have been put in place for the PRS monitoring. The ‘National Poverty Focal Point’ (NPFP) will be responsible for monitoring and evaluating the PRS targets, and will act as the contact point and liaison “office” in PRS monitoring. An independent Committee for Monitoring and Evaluation of PRS and attainment of MDG will ensure the quality of the process and the respect of commitments such as participation of different stakeholders. It is composed of renowned personalities in the field of development in Bangladesh. A steering committee has been put in place, and will supervise and ensure the functionality of the system and its institutional arrangements.

Most important part in the PRS implementation process is the function of working groups. There will be different working groups in line with the PRSP policy matrices. Working groups will be formed according to the PRS policy matrices. Relevant ministry will be the leading ministry for a particular sector. The groups will be coordinated by the NPFP. Their role is to prioritise and monitor the PRS indicators, and propose new ones if needed. They will include relevant GOs and NGOs, which will collect and analyse data.

Since the indicators and the tools to measure the change of the indicators in MDG and PRS were developed very recently in 2005, it is a great challenge for the concerned government organisations to develop and incorporate these monitoring mechanisms appropriately. The existing planning and monitoring and documentation system are operated by General Economic Division of Planning Commission and field data is being collected by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. The local level administration and civil society organizations have little or no integration with the process.

Involvement of the organisations working intensely at the grassroots level already have some form of monitoring operations which can be capitalised and linked to the present poverty monitoring system to serve the goals of MDG and PRS.

This project aims to establish the linkage between the GO and NGO stakeholders in poverty reduction and monitoring, introduce the indicators of PRSP at all level and build capacity of both to establish a fluent and usable system in poverty monitoring.

The project aims at contributing to the promotion of the national poverty reduction strategic at the District level, so the stakeholders develop the ownership on the PRS and use it as a reference for steering their activities in relation to poverty alleviation. As such, the overall long-term strategic goal of the project is defined as follows:

Poverty reduction strategies, linked to the national PRSP, are developed, implemented and monitored in a concerted manner by the stakeholders at District level, under the lead of the District Administration

The project is conceived as a pilot action which will be implemented in 5 Districts which will use MDG and PRS as an intrument for establishing a coordinated system of poverty monitoring between local stakeholders. This system will develop further as a process for developing strategies for poverty reduction owned by stakeholders, which should at the same time refer to the national PRS as well as to the local context, including constraints and opportunities. In the perspective of two years time, the project target the following objective:

To establish a concerted system of poverty monitoring in 5 Districts in relation to PRS/ MDG that will provide relevant information for strategic orientation in favour of poverty reduction.

The purpose of the project aims more particularly at:

• Coordinating and harmonising a poverty monitoring system amongst relevant stakeholders, which includes procedure for data collection, gathering and management, sharing mechanisms, etc.
• Enhancing the effectiveness of poverty monitoring, including local capacities
• Making available and transparent the information for different tiers of stakeholders (Union, Sub-District, District, national level)
• Contributing to the national PRS M&E system

In order to address the constrainsts and specific hindrances in relation with PRS implementation and monitoring, the project will focus on the following operational strategies and main activities:

·         Develop awareness on PRS and PRS monitoring at the level of District.

·         Develop an “indigeneous” concerted system of poverty monitoring that can contribute to the national PRS monitoring system, while creating synergies between monitoring practices at District level.

·         Prioritise PRS indicators and sectors according to the context of the District, and interest and resources of stakeholders. This should be done jointly by local institutions, with the support from GED / planning commission and BBS.

·         Facilitate the development of the system using a task force including the District administration and key stakeholders from GOs, NGOs, civil society, and possibly, private sector.

·         Develop the capacities of the key actors at different levels within the District.

·         Ensure the ownership of stakeholders on the process, with the lead of District Administration.

·         Bridging Planning Commission, BBS and District institutions.