$120m UNDP, DFID dev project for 3m hardcore poor

UNDP and the Department for International Development (DFID) have jointly initiated a 120 million US dollar development project to improve the livelihoods and living conditions of 3 million urban poor and extremely poor people, especially women and girls.
The project titled 'Urban Partnerships for Poverty Reduction (UPPR)' will be implemented in cooperation with Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), including the municipalities and city corporations concerned.
The project, which will continue till March 2015 and cover 30 towns, including Dhaka City Corporation, will support local capacity for the development and implementation of poverty-reduction strategies at town level.
Links to financial institutions, such as local banks and micro-finance bodies, to provide access to a wide range of financial services by community groups, including housing improvements and business development support, will also be provided through the project.
It will ensure that the implementation of pro-poor urban development and poverty-reduction strategies at town level influence policy development at the national level.
This project aims to mobilise the urban poor communities and groups to create healthy living environments and support urban poor families to acquire resources, knowledge and skills to increase their incomes and assets.
The project also tends to deliver benefits to poor people through pro-poor urban policy, said a UNDP release Wednesday.
“As part of the global commitment made through the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), UNDP will continue assisting Bangladesh to fulfill the promise and we are thankful to the UK government for its support to eradicate poverty”, said UNDP Country Director Manoj Basnyat.
The Urban Partnerships for Poverty Reduction (UPPR) project builds on the experiences of the earlier UNDP-funded Local Partnerships for Urban Poverty Reduction Project (2000-2007).