EC Country Strategy Paper for Bangladesh 2002-2006

support, has always involved a capacity-building component not only of the organisation
itself, but also of other smaller NGOs participating to the implementation of the
programmes;
• Promoting partnership between European NGOs and Bangladesh NGOs. This activity
has been effected predominantly through the ‘NGO Co-financing’ facility under budget
line B7-6000. The strategy for NGO co-financing has been to target geographical areas
and the poorer sections of society that would not be reached through other EC funding
mechanisms;
• Initiating an EC-NGO dialogue in Bangladesh to look at opportunities to strengthen the
partnership. The EC financed project of an EC-NGO dialogue came to the conclusion
that an improved and enhanced communication mechanism was needed in Bangladesh
to better reach the domestic NGO community at large;
• Finally, the strengthening of civil society and support for human rights activities has
been the objective of EC financial support for a limited number of projects implemented
by local NGOs.
VII. Economic Co-operation
Although past EC country strategy papers for Bangladesh included the prospect of bilateral
economic co-operation with Bangladesh, little has actually been accomplished in this area.
Following the 1994 EC Strategy towards Asia, Bangladesh became a potential beneficiary
of a number of regional ASIA programmes, the general objective of which were to promote
an enhanced economic presence of the European Union in Asia. These programmes focussing
on private sector co-operation, however, had difficulties to gain foothold in the country,
since the programmes were not particularly geared for a Least Developed Country with
its typical deficiencies.
Looking at the trade side of economic co-operation with Bangladesh, the balance is more
positive. Bangladesh has always been included in the EC’s Generalised System of Preferences,
granting products originating in Bangladesh duty and generally quota-free access to
the EC market. Bangladesh’s garment industry has thriven on the competitive advantage of
a quota free access to the EU market, and the country’s shrimp industry complying with EC
sanitary standards has secured its EU market share by enjoying duty free access to the EU
market. The EC’s autonomous decision to grant duty and quota free access to all products
originating in Least Developed Countries (with the exception of arms – EBA initiative)
provides new perspectives for Bangladesh provided the country’s export range is successfully
reviewed and traditional export products are living up to respective market demands.
VIII. Support to the Peace Process in the Chittagong Hill Tracts
To date no activities have been projected for the Chittagong Hill Tracts, since the donor
community (including the EC) has so far maintained always considered that the 1997 Peace
Agreement should first be fully implemented. However, some donors (including the EC)
are now considering to start conceptualising and eventually to implement development activities
in the CHT region, seeing therein, a positive impact on the peace process.
IX. Humanitarian Aid
Since 1994, humanitarian aid provided by ECHO has played a crucial role in international
emergency assistance responding to natural disasters (floods and cyclones), which struck
Bangladesh. The supported emergency assistance projects, as well as DIPECHO projects,
18