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Supporting Local Democratic Governance and Climate Resilient Public Service Provision in Bangladesh (GO4IMPact)

The GO4IMPact programme will help to make public service delivery in Bangladesh's Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) and Solid Waste Management (SWM) sectors more democratic and climate-resilient by applying the Thinking & Working Politically (TWP) approach, which builds the capacity of relevant actors, improves discourse and promotes participatory and democratic decision-making processes.
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Naogaon
24.7936071
88.93180819999999
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Shatkhira
22.7184852
89.07047659999999
Bangladesh
Project duration
2023 - 2027
Financed by
  • Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC

(represented by the Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh)

In Bangladesh, the availability of water for domestic consumption, health and livelihoods is already a problem in many areas. Salinity of surface and groundwater in the southern coastal zone and water scarcity in the north-western part of the country due to drought and lack of rainfall are key factors affecting the health, livelihoods and living standards of local communities. Coastal dwellers are increasingly suffering from high blood pressure, skin, heart and kidney diseases etc. as a result of increased salt intake with water, while women in particular are suffering from eclampsia and gynaecological diseases due to poor menstrual management.

On the other hand, the existing waste management infrastructure shows that the average collection efficiency of waste in different urban areas is around 55%, which is dumped in landfills, while the rest is not collected or dumped. As much as 400 tonnes of waste is dumped by the roadside and in open spaces. One of the most detrimental effects of poor waste management, particularly of municipal waste, is the incidence and prevalence of diseases such as malaria and respiratory problems, as well as other illnesses due to groundwater contamination.

The Project

The project will work to address the challenges of IWRM (Integrated Water Resource Management) and SWM (Solid Waste Management) in Bangladesh and help make public service delivery in these two sectors more democratic and climate-resilient by applying the Thinking & Working Politically (TWP) approach.
 

The project will

  • adopt a systemic and contextualised understanding of governance,
  • conduct consultations from the ward level within each of the selected Union Parishads and Pourashavas in the project areas,
  • organise an awareness campaign that will enable the project team to understand the socio-cultural context and the power dynamics between individuals and institutions,
  • facilitate necessary mechanisms through which communication, cooperation and collaboration can be improved and sustained,
  • use the representation of government, private sector, donor and civil society actors in the multi-stakeholder platforms created by the project to share lessons learned and advocate for changes in policy and practice,
  • build on peer learning districts to promote adaptation and application by new Union Parishads and Pourashavas, and support the development of a platform of local government institutions willing to work together to achieve scale and advocate for change,
  • learn from and build on the organisations' existing work to shift power imbalances, address the root causes of gender inequalities and target all levels (household, community and institutional),
  • promote and strengthen the leadership and decision-making of women and girls (in all their diversity) at all levels.

Project Goals

One of the project's objectives is to enable residents and businesses within a community to assess the quality of service delivery by public actors. The overall objective of the GO4IMPact programme is to contribute to strengthening local democracy and improving equitable and climate resilient delivery of basic public services in water and solid waste management in Bangladesh. This will be achieved through a systemic, adaptive and facilitative approach to strengthen the capacities of relevant actors, enhance dialogue between them and stimulate participatory and democratic decision-making processes.

Project Partners

  • Wateraid
  • Rupantar
  • Eco-Social Development Organization (ESDO)

Expected Results

  • Local government institutions and local public service providers are more accountable, inclusive and responsive in providing effective and climate-resilient public services related to water and waste management based on democratic principles.
  • Citizens at the local level, especially women, the poor, youth and socially excluded groups, and private sector actors engage more effectively with local government institutions and local public service providers for more accountable, equitable and impartial delivery of climate resilient basic public services.
  • Central government institutions engage more effectively in learning and policy adaptation based on engagement with local actors to achieve equitable and impartial climate resilient basic public service provision related to water and solid waste management.