BD signs $366,500 grant agreement with Unicef

The Economic Relations Division (ERD) under the Ministry of Finance, has signed a grant agreement worth $366,500 (Tk439.80 lakh) with the Unicef, United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially known as United Nations Children's Fund.

The agreement titled "Enhancing Evaluation Capacity for Development (EEC4D)" which was signed on Tuesday will contribute to implementing the three-year project of the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) under the Ministry of Planning.

“The overall objective of the project is to enhance the evaluation capacity of the government agencies for institutionalizing evidence-based, efficient and effective investment for sustainable development,” said an ERD press release on Wednesday.

Md Shahriar Kader Siddiky, secretary of the ERD and Rana Flowers, country representative of Unicef Bangladesh, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective sides.

Representatives from the UN Wing of ERD and concerned government agencies were present at the signing ceremony.

Unicef has been a long-term partner for Bangladesh with its wide legacy and focus on children rights. Unicef has been supporting both nationwide humanitarian response and development programs.

The most recent project contributed to developing an evaluation policy and the upcoming project is designed to enhance the evaluation capacity of government agencies for institutionalizing evidence-based, efficient, and effective investment for sustainable development.

By the end of the next three years, the project is expected to develop an evaluation policy implementation framework, draft an evaluation act and rules for evaluation, and develop evaluation training modules and guidelines to develop the national evaluation capacity.

Unicef supports the strategic plan of GoB and contributes towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) notably support to end poverty (Goal 1), healthy lives (Goal 3) and quality education (Goal 4).

As evaluation plays a crucial role in shaping effective development strategies, countries with strong national evaluation systems are likely to achieve development goals on time and within budget.

By investing in evaluation capacity, Bangladesh is paving the way for more efficient resource allocation, impactful interventions, and attaining sustainable socio-economic growth.