Australia’s international development assistance program 2009-10: bangladesh
The Australian Government will provide an estimated $61.2 million (BDT 3.2 billion) in development assistance to Bangladesh in 2009-10.
Australia will provide $3.8 billion in total official development assistance (ODA) in 2009–10. This represents an ODA/GNI ratio of 0.34 per cent and real growth of 5.6 per cent on the 2008-09 budget estimate of $3.7 billion.
The 2009-10 aid budget places a particular emphasis on helping partner countries to address the impacts of the global recession. The Budget is a necessary and practical response to the needs of people in developing countries severely affected by the global recession.
Australia will spend up to $46.4 million under its country allocation to Bangladesh in 2009-10. It will work in partnership with UNICEF and BRAC to improve maternal and child health and to increase access for children to high quality basic education. Australia will partner with BRAC and other donors to help lift 4.3 million people from extreme poverty by 2011. Australia will also continue to support ICDDR-B in its important disease research and health care programs.
Bangladesh is expected to benefit from increased ODA, including under current and previous Budget initiatives, in particular in the following areas:
• Health, with a focus on maternal and child health
• Education
• Livelihoods support for the extreme poor.
Australian High Commission, Dhaka
17 May 2009
For further information please contact:
Senior Political & Economic Research Officer, AHC, Dhaka.
Tel: 8813105, E-mail: [email protected]