Today in the Houses of Parliament, Anne Main chaired an important event on the development success in Bangladesh.  The meeting was titled ‘What can we learn from development success in Bangladesh?’ and was attended by MPs, civil servants, BRAC, and organised by the Institute of Development studies. 

Anne kicked off the debate, stating ‘Bangladesh has undergone an enormous transformation over the past forty years and has long been seen as an example of how aid can support progressive, pro-poor and country-driven development. Over the past two days the Institute of Development Studies has been hosting ESRC DFID funded researchers working on Bangladesh and leading experts from the region will share learning about what works in aid and development. As Bangladesh now takes a frontline seat at global policy debates on climate change, trade, and sustainable development, we ask: What are the ingredients of its success and what lessons might there be for aid programmes?’

Panel speakers were: Dr Mushtaque Chowdhury, Vice Chair, BRAC Bangladesh; Naomi Hossain, Research Fellow, Institute of Development Studies; Simeen Mahmud, Head of the Centre for Gender and Social Transformation at BRAC Institute of Governance and Development; Saul Walker, Chief of Staff, Asia, Caribbean and Overseas Territories Division, DFID; and Rushanara Ali MP, UK Trade Envoy for Bangladesh.