ADB, UNDP to promote CHT community development

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Tuesday signed an administrative arrangement to promote sustainable management of community development for the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT).

ADB Country Director Manmohan Parkash and UNDP Bangladesh Country Director Sudipto Mukerjee signed the deal at a ceremony at ADB's Bangladesh Resident Mission in the city.

Under the arrangement, ADB will provide $471,000 to UNDP to implement the activities of the ADB-assisted technical assistance project titled 'Sustainable Management of Community Development for Chittagong Hill Tracts (TRTA 9472)'.

"The technical assistance project will increase the capacity of village level institutions in planning for local development and service delivery," said ADB Country Director Manmohan Parkash, reports UNB.

"Building on UNDP's strong presence in the CHT region, the technical assistance project will also help sustain ADB's interventions; and promote community participation in repair, maintenance, planning, and public asset management."

The technical assistance project will enhance the capacity of 300 Parha Development Committees (PDCs) on managing and sustaining community assets and infrastructure; train 900 PDC leaders on leadership, organisational and financial management and 500 PDC members on participatory planning, and monitoring towards strengthened governance and rural development; create a pool of skilled technicians from the unemployed youths to repair and maintain irrigation equipment and tube-wells; and strengthen linkages of PDCs with union councils.

ADB has been supporting development in CHT since 2000.

The Chittagong Hill Tracts Rural Development Project, completed in 2010, implemented 2,040 small-scale infrastructure sub-projects comprising water supply, irrigation equipment, village-roads, etc. in 111 unions of CHT.

The ongoing second Chittagong Hill Tracts Rural Development Project, approved in 2011, supports strengthening of rural infrastructure and water resources management in 600 villages.

UNDP has strong networks in the CHT and has been providing significant development assistance in the CHT region since 2003.