Background

The Local Partnerships for Urban Poverty Alleviation Project (LPUPAP) was designed in line with the development objective of Bangladesh, which states in the Fifth Five Year Plan “to alleviate poverty through accelerated economic growth to bring about a significant improvement in the standard of living of citizens by raising the level of income and adequate supply of basic needs”.

The project is also in line with the UNDP mandate for poverty alleviation. The UNDP Country Frame Work (CCF) for Bangladesh states that the UNDP will support the formulation of the national poverty alleviation programme, focusing on the poorest and most deprived, especially women through a participatory approach that will involve them in its preparation and will seek to promote synergistic interaction among various actors.

The Local Partnerships for Urban Poverty Alleviation Project (LPUPAP) Document was finalized in August 1999. The funds from UNDP amount to US $21,324,464. The contribution from Government of Bangladesh amounts to Tk. 55 million to be used for salary of counterpart staff, logistic support, customs duty, VAT etc.

The Government Implementing Agent is the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives (MLGRD&C) as the Executing Agent for the NEX component. UN Habitat has been engaged as the Implementing Agent for UN Habitat Component.

The project is being implemented in the four City Corporations of Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi and Barisal and the seven Pourashavas (Municipalities) of Mymensingh, Bogra, Sirajganj, Gopalganj, Narayanganj, Hobiganj and Kushtia. The project started in January 2000 and will run up to June 2007.  It is expected that 2nd phase of the project will start soon.