Our 2022 annual report is an opportunity to showcase some of the achievements resulting from our partnership with the Government of Bangladesh and other allies. Over 150,000 babies were delivered safely by UNFPA-supported midwives in 2022. Nearly 780,000 women were able to make an informed choice of contraceptive methods and were hence able to plan their families, their lives, and their futures. Over 3,500 women took the courageous step of seeking services following gender-based violence. Each of these numbers represents a human story, and we feel privileged to have been in a position to touch so many lives.

In this report, you will read about innovation: new and promising practices to reach the furthest behind, address gaps in access and quality and increase the impact of services. We are using new technologies to reach young people and coordinate more effectively with other development partners, and we are scaling up solutions that are proven to work.

I want to thank our generous donors, our implementing partners, and all the staff of UNFPA who work with commitment and dedication to advance our vision towards a Bangladesh where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.

Kristine Blokhus, UNFPA Representative

UNFPA is committed to achieving 3 transformative results by 2030: zero preventable maternal deaths, zero unmet need for family planning, and zero gender-based violence and harmful practices. These transformative results are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They aim to achieve a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled by 2030. In 2022 we persisted in our effort to enhance the rights of young girls and women, working with governments, civil society organisations, and other partners to achieve these results, focusing on reaching the most marginalised and vulnerable populations.

TOWARDS ZERO PREVENTABLE MATERNAL DEATHS

Maternal mortality remains high in Bangladesh, despite enormous progress over the last several decades. A shortage of skilled midwives, coupled with a need to improve the quality of care provided by the health system, are contributing factors. Childbirth claims the lives of more than 5000 Bangladeshi women annually. Most of these deaths are preventable. UNFPA works to achieve zero preventable maternal deaths. Close cooperation between all stakeholders is required to ensure that every woman has the right to access safe childbirth and necessary care and support.

TOWARDS ZERO UNMET NEED FOR FAMILY PLANNING

Family planning is an investment, not an expense. Access to safe, consent-based family planning is a human right that has profound implications for women, enabling them to plan not only their families but their lives and careers. It can hence be a powerful tool for breaking cycles of poverty. Family planning prevents unintended pregnancy, which again prevents mortality from unsafe abortion. UNFPA works to ensure rights and choices for every woman.

TOWARDS ZERO GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AND HARMFUL PRACTICES

UNFPA works to eliminate discrimination and violence against women and girls. Due to gender inequality, women in Bangladesh are more prone to deprivation, poverty, and socioeconomic hardship, and are more likely to live in poverty. According to data (VAW Survey, 2015), almost two out of every three Bangladeshi women have experienced sexual and gender-based violence in their lifetime. In 2022, UNFPA worked closely with the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and other stakeholders to develop gender-equitable societal norms, a non-discriminatory legal and policy framework, and a robust mechanism to prevent and respond to gender-based violence and harmful practices in both the development and humanitarian contexts.

Women and girls are vulnerable during humanitarian crises. Gender-based violence increases, and many families under difficult circumstances cope by marrying off young daughters. Family planning and other SRHR services may be challenging to access, and many women may struggle to manage their menstruation in a dignified way. Pregnancy and childbirth do not wait for safe and peaceful times. It is hence essential that pregnant women be able to give birth safely - even in an emergency.

UNFPA’s mission cannot be achieved without reliable data to target interventions appropriately and to prioritize those left furthest behind. For decades, UNFPA's assistance to the Government of Bangladesh in conducting surveys and censuses has been crucial in providing a detailed picture of the demographic dynamics of the country. UNFPA continued its longstanding partnership with the Parliament of Bangladesh to promote the ICPD agenda. This included a high-level policy dialogue titled ‘Policy Actions to End Preventable Maternal Death’ at the Bangladesh Parliament, a workshop on ‘Full Implementation of the ICPD Agenda as an Accelerator for the SDGs’ at Bangladesh Parliament on policy actions and strategies to stop child marriage and prevent gender-based violence, and consultation workshops on ‘Adolescent Health Protection and Prevent Child Marriage’ in Sirajganj, Gaibandha, and Gazipur districts.

The Bangladesh Association of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (BAPPD) reached out to adolescent girls at 15 schools involving local Members of Parliament (MPs), administration, and school authorities in three of UNFPA priority districts to strengthen the social movement to end child marriage and promote A-SRHR.
The Eliminating Child Marriage and Preventing Gender-Based Violence Sub-committee (ECMSC), BAPPD had a follow-up consultation meeting on the amendment to the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act, 2010 and Bylaws 2013 with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on MoWCA at Bangladesh Parliament.
PPRC, in collaboration with UNFPA, conducted four Round Table discussions on gender-based violence, unmet need for family planning, early marriage, and preventable maternal deaths. The events were attended by the local administration, CSOs, local leaders, and NGOs in Dhaka, Rangpur, and Sylhet districts.
With technical support from UNFPA, PPRC also launched a platform (3Zeroes. ActionNetwork) on ICPD 3 Zeroes Agenda that aims to influence and track national commitments and policies on ICPD priority.
UNFPA also supported the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics to produce valuable data for evidence-based policies and programming, including the first-ever digital Population and Housing Census in Bangladesh, the Violence Against Women Survey 22/23, and a Sample Vital Registration System.

Leaving No One Behind’ is integral to the achievement of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. Regardless of their social or economic standing, UNFPA strives to ensure everyone has access to high-quality reproductive healthcare services, education, and information. We persisted in our efforts in 2022 to enhance the rights of everyone, including transgender people and gender-diverse individuals, sex workers, persons with disabilities, and members of ethnic minorities.

UNFPA Bangladesh's Annual Report for 2022 gives a comprehensive overview of the support that UNFPA continued to provide to the Government and people of Bangladesh during 2022.

UNFPA Bangladesh Annual Report 2022

Message from the Representative

2022 at a glance

TOWARDS UNFPA’S TRANSFORMATIVE RESULTS

TOWARDS ZERO PREVENTABLE MATERNAL DEATHS

7,520

7,520

153,800

153,800

284

284

240,000+

240,000+

TOWARDS ZERO UNMET NEED FOR FAMILY PLANNING

750,000+

750,000+

465

465

240,000+

240,000+

TOWARDS ZERO GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AND HARMFUL PRACTICES

120

120

305,000+

305,000+

12,800+

12,800+

311,000

311,000

HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

~1 million

~1 million

~30,000

~30,000

284

284

6

6

EVIDENCE AND ADVOCACY

LEAVING NO ONE BEHIND

5,040

5,040

3,000

3,000

2,500

2,500

Donors

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