Localizing the Millennium Development Goals in Bangladesh (2008)

Undergraduate: Shegufta Sikder

Faculty Advisor: Jonathan Weiler
Department: International & Area Studies

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With my Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship, I investigated the work of a Bangladeshi NGO to localize the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Bangladesh. As a Bangladeshi, I have been interested in issues related to human development in my homeland for many years. I was drawn to the work of the Bangladeshi NGO Unnayan Shamannay (“Coordinating Development”). I worked with this NGO to analyze their model to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the districts of Patuakhali and Sirajganj. Data from Unnayan Shamannay and the local governments of Patuakhali and Sirajganj showed that both districts experienced decreased drop-out rate and reduced maternal mortality rates over the two years of the project. I used literature reviews and personal interviews with local residents to identify how these improvements had been achieved.
Through this analysis, I found that the following strategies had contributed to the human development improvements: 1) internal resource mobilization, 2) local ownership of activities, 3) public advocacy, and 4) the participation of women. These findings suggest how Bangladesh may have been able to achieve some of the unique development progress observed in the two districts of Patuakhali and Sirajganj. Investments in women’s empowerment and access to education have contributed to Bangladesh’s particular successes in human development. However, obstacles such as corruption and lack of access to clean water plague future progress.