Bangladesh has launched the third phase of "Sharique", a programme for promoting local governance with assistance from Switzerland with a particular objective of fighting poverty.
The project “Sharique” was launched on Monday with a focus on the strategic planning and fiscal autonomy of the local governments, poverty reduction as well as social inclusiveness, stated a press release of the Swiss Embassy in Dhaka.
According to the press release, the project area includes 207 union parishads in the districts of Rajshahi, Sunamganj, Chapai Nawabganj and Khulna. Over 50,000 citizens will be benefitted by the programme in those areas and the third phase will end in 2016.”
Since 2006, the local governance programme “Sharique” has been addressing the issue of poverty alleviation in Bangladesh by facilitating improved local governance services.
In the first two phases of the project, significant milestones in improving local governance were achieved, especially with regards to increased transparency, accountability and participation of communities.
Under the programme, 130 targeted union parishads are now formulating their annual plans and budgets through an open participation of the citizens. The current Swiss Co-operation Strategy for Bangladesh focuses on three thematic areas, namely local governance, skills development and market development.
The annual Swiss development assistance to Bangladesh amounts to around $34million.