EU lauds PRSP but unhappy over lack of full political participation

The EU, however, registered its disappointment over a lack of full political participation in the documentation process.

"The Poverty Reduction Strategy provides a realistic picture of the development challenges in Bangladesh and acknowledges upfront the role of NGOs and private sector in realising the MDGs," says an EU joint statement.

"However, the European Union notes with disappointment that full political participation in the PRSP process was not achieved," said the statement issued in Dhaka yesterday.

With UK in its present capacity as holder of the EU Presidency, the British High Commission in Dhaka, on behalf of the EU member states and the European Commission, issued the statement to confirm the Union's long-term partnership with Bangladesh in its drive for development.

"The EU commends the Bangladesh government for its commitment to poverty reduction and its commitment to the MDGs as set out by its ambitious and comprehensive strategy 'Unlocking the Potential: National Strategy for Accelerated Poverty Reduction'," the statement reads.

Praising the PRSP highly, the EU said that the Strategy's analysis reflects the multidimensional nature of poverty for Bangladesh and correctly seeks to build on past gains, stop slippage and address implementation.

"This will help build on the remarkable progress already made by Bangladesh on macroeconomic stability, growth and human development," says the European Union encomium over the donor-prescribed development recipe.

It noted that the Poverty Reduction Strategy rightly identified weak governance, poor human security, and violation of some human rights as significant challenges to improving the livelihoods of poorest and women, and to stronger economic growth.

The EU pointed out that corruption hinders service delivery, and this holds back growth and progress on development.

These issues also constrain the successful implementation of government plans, the statement said. "Likewise political and ethnic violence, as well as recent bomb attacks, add to human insecurity and are significant threats to continued development."

The EU hoped that the government of Bangladesh would demonstrate its commitment to addressing all these issues during implementation of the strategy.

In the statement the EU hailed government effort to consult international partners and sections of civil society during the drafting of the Poverty Reduction Strategy.

The EU hopes for a stronger cross-party engagement during implementation of the strategy and continued commitment to the strategy beyond the next elections in 2007.

"Bangladesh continues to confront fundamental development challenges. The European Union values its partnership with Bangladesh and looks forward to a successful implementation meeting on November 15-17," the statement said.

Member-countries of the union of European nations repeated their stance on extending the EU support to Bangladesh in this challenging process.