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Bangladesh

 Flag of Bangladesh


Last reviewed: 22 July 2009

Country information

Map of Bangladesh

Area: 144,000 sq km (55,599 sq miles)
Population:  161.3 million (UN, 2008)
Capital City: Dhaka, 6.7 million (2007)
People: Bengalis (98%), and small numbers of tribes people.
Languages: Bangla, and some tribal languages. English quite widely spoken by those with education.
Religion(s): Islam (89%), Hinduism (10%). Buddhists and Christians make up about 1% of the population
Currency: Taka
Major political parties: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Bangladesh Awami League (AL); Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, Jatiya Party (N) (JPN), Islami Oikya Jote, Islami Jatiya Oikya Front -Jatiya Party (E) (JPE), Islamic Constitution Movement (ICM); Jatiya Party (M) (JPM); Sramik Krishak Janata League.
Government: Parliamentary Republic. Bangladesh is a Parliamentary Democracy with a non-executive President elected by Parliament. Parliament and President are both elected for five years.
Head of State:  President Zillur Rahman, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed
Membership of international groupings/organisations: Commonwealth, SAARC, UN, Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC).

DID YOU KNOW?

  • The Sundarbans in south west Bangladesh is one of the largest Mangrove forests in the world.
  • Bangladesh is the most densely populated major country in the world.
  • Bangladesh has some of the largest NGOs in the world and has played a major role in developing micro-finance schemes to help poor people.
  • Bangladesh instigated the process in the UN that led to the establishment of International Mother Language Day.
  • Bangladesh gained its test status in cricket in 2000
  • Bangladesh has the 3rd largest Muslim population and the 8th largest overall population in the world.
  • The Bengali Tiger is the national animal.

HEALTH

Malaria is not prevalent in Dhaka. It is, however, common in some parts of Bangladesh. There is a risk of dengue fever throughout Bangladesh.

Hygiene and sanitation standards are poor throughout the country and intestinal diseases are common. Drinking water should be boiled and filtered.

The high levels of humidity during certain times of the year and pollution in downtown Dhaka can cause problems.

Local clinics and hospitals are generally of a poor standard. There are no adequate psychiatric services in Bangladesh.

A growing concern for many Bangladeshis is the presence of arsenic in groundwater supplies. The scale of the problem is not yet fully understood, but some people fear that it will be the most significant health problem in Bangladesh in the coming years.

ECONOMY

Basic Economic Facts

GDP:  US$ 78.95 billion
GDP per head: US$ 470 (World Bank 2007) US$ 599 (2008)
GDP Growth: 5.3% for 2003 (forecast for 2005 is 5 %) 6.21% (2008)
Consumer Price Inflation: 6.1% (2004) 8.75 (May 08-April 09)
Principal Exports: Garments account for 80% of Bangladesh’s exports to the UK. Seafood is also a significant Bangladesh export. Almost 10% of Bangladesh’s world-wide exports go to the UK.
Aid & development: The Department for International Development (DFID) has one of its largest programmes in Bangladesh. On current plans, the UK expects to spend £114 million in the year to 31 March 2008.

Bangladesh has made significant economic progress in the past 15 years. Annual economic growth has averaged 5% since 1990, with rates approaching 7% in recent years. Incomes have doubled in less than 30 years.

There has been major progress in poverty reduction. Poverty fell by more than 1% per year during the period 1990-2000, and then by almost 2% per year from 2000-2005. However, four out of every ten people, some 56 million, remain in poverty and survive on less than the equivalent to half a US dollar at current exchange rates. Of these, some 14 million are extreme poor, living on less than 20 Taka, or 30 US cents, per day.

Exchange rate: The Bangladesh Central Bank announced a move from an exchange rate pegged to the US dollar to a managed floating exchange rate on May 31 2003 (a pre condition for an IMF Poverty Reduction Growth Facility (PRGF) loan). Since the float, the taka has remained stable.

UK Trade & Investment Country Profile: Bangladesh

International Monetary Fund: IMF and Bangladesh

HISTORY

Before the independence of India and Pakistan, the territory formed part of the Indian provinces of Bengal and Assam. Following partition in 1947, East Bengal, with a Muslim majority population, emerged as the eastern wing of Pakistan.

During the period of East and West Pakistan there was a growing sense of Bengali nationalism, stimulated in part by the insensitivity of the central Government in West Pakistan, particularly on language (Urdu was declared the official language although few in East Pakistan spoke it).

In the 1970 general elections the Awami League (AL), a Bengali nationalist party led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, won a landslide victory in East Pakistan. Since the East had the larger population this gave it an absolute majority in the national parliament. After West Pakistan failed to recognise the AL's majority, Sheikh Mujib launched a secessionist uprising. The Pakistan Government responded with vicious military tactics, including the targeted murder of “intellectuals” (including many Hindus) and mass rape. This eventually led to the intervention of the Indian army and the new state of Bangladesh was declared independent on 16 December 1971.

Sheikh Mujib became the first President and then Prime Minister of Bangladesh. His AL government introduced a secular and democratic constitution in 1972. In December 1974, facing growing economic difficulties, the government declared a state of emergency and a month later amended the constitution, replacing parliamentary rule with an executive presidency and providing for the introduction of one party rule.

Sheikh Mujib, who had assumed the role of President, was assassinated in August 1975 in a military coup. The Army, under its new Chief of Staff General Zia ur Rahman, took control. Zia became President in 1977 and set up his own political party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). In May 1981 he too was assassinated by a group of army officers. The Vice-President, Abdus Sattar, was elected the new Head of State a few months later.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Ershad overthrew President Sattar in a bloodless coup, in 1982. Ershad suspended the constitution and re-imposed martial law. He founded his own political party, the Jana Dal and declared himself President in 1983. The following year he began talks with the two opposition alliances - one led by Sheikh Mujibur daughter, Sheikh Hasina, and the other led by Begum Khaleda Zia, Zia ur Rahman's widow. In 1986 Ershad's renamed party, the Jatiya Party, won parliamentary and presidential elections and martial law was lifted. The main opposition political parties forced Ershad to step down in December 1990 when he lost army support after massive protest demonstrations.

With the support of all opposition parties, Chief Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed assumed the post of Acting President, appointed a neutral caretaker government and conducted general elections in February 1991. Khaleda Zia's BNP won a surprise victory and she took office as Prime Minister. The constitution was amended and a return to Parliamentary rule approved in a referendum in September 1991. Abdur Rahman Biswas was elected to the now largely ceremonial office of President, while Shahabuddin Ahmed returned to his post as Chief Justice (he was re-elected as President in 1996).

All the main opposition parties boycotted the next general elections, in February 1996. Although a new BNP government was sworn in, opposition agitation increased, bringing the economy near to collapse. The government resigned in March following a constitutional amendment which provided for a caretaker Government. Fresh elections were held on 12 June under a caretaker Government. These elections were conducted peacefully, with a high turnout of voters. The AL won most seats and formed the Government with Sheikh Hasina becoming the Prime Minister.

In the summer of 1997 the opposition staged a walk-out from parliament, complaining about harassment of BNP members and about their treatment in parliament where they claimed they were not getting their due in terms of speaking time and seats on select committees. The government and the BNP reached an agreement in March 1998 which led to the return of the BNP to parliament, but they subsequently staged further walk-outs and political strikes or hartals. This pattern continued on and off throughout the next three years. Efforts by the Speaker to get the Opposition to return to parliament failed and public invitations by the Prime Minister to the Leader of the Opposition were rejected.

In the elections held in October 2001, the BNP-led 4 Party Alliance won an overall majority with 219 seats out of 300 (BNP – 196 seats; Jamaat-e-Islami –17 seats; the JPN – 4 seats; and the IOJ – 2 seats). The Awami League won 58 seats. International observers reported that the election was generally free and fair although there were reports of election-related violence, ballot rigging and other election malpractice. However the AL publicly refused to accept the result. From 2001 – 2006 AL attendance in Parliament has been sporadic, and AL MPs complain of discrimination by the BNP Speaker.

In the summer of 2006 opposition parties, led by the Awami League (AL), claimed that the BNP-led government was seeking to manipulate Bangladesh’s electoral infrastructure and announced in January 2007, a boycott of the general election.

Against this background of serious differences between the two main parties, on 11 January 2007, the President declared a state of emergency and resigned his supplementary role as Chief Adviser. On 12 January 2007 Fakhruddin Ahmed, a former Governor of the Bangladesh Central Bank, was sworn in as the new Chief Adviser of a reconstituted Caretaker Government promising to hold the election in December 2008. The Awami League (AL)-led Grand Alliance won an election widely regarded as free, fair and  neutralon 29 December 2008. Sheikh Hasina took on the role of Prime Minister for the second time. 

BBC News Country Timeline: Bangladesh

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Bangladesh's Relations with its Neighbours

The relationship with India is of great importance to Bangladesh for geographical and historical reasons. Despite the Indian role in securing Bangladesh’s independence the relationship has often been troubled. One of the biggest issues is security; the Indians claim that Indian separatists are present in Bangladesh. Other difficult issues are water-sharing, (more than 50 of Bangladesh's rivers cross the border),  illegal immigration and transit rights. Bangladesh and India are both members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Bangladesh and India have spoken of establishing a Free Trade Area, but there has been little progress on this so far.

Bangladesh's Relations with the International Community

Bangladesh is a member of the Commonwealth, the UN, SAARC and the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC). Bangladesh is a major troop contributor to UN peacekeeping operations and currently has more than 6,000 troops deployed in UN missions.

Bangladesh relations with the UK

The relations between the UK and Bangladesh are wide-ranging. There have been a number of high profile visits between the countries.

In 2008, the Foreign Secretary, the then Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, visited Bangladesh on 9 April, meeting Chief Adviser Fakhruddin, and the Home and Foreign Advisers. The Foreign Secretary, David Miliband visited on 8-9 February 2008. He met Chief Adviser Fakhruddin, Foreign Adviser Iftekhar Choudhury, senior government officials, and civil society representatives. The Secretary of State for International Development (DfID), Douglas Alexander visited from 18-19 December 2007. He saw areas affected by cyclone Sidr, where UK funding is supporting rehabilitation and met the Foreign and Finance Advisers.

Previous Prime Ministerial visits were by Prime Minister Blair and Mrs Blair in January 2002, and John Major in 1997. The Prince of Wales visited in February 1997, and the Princess Royal in November 2000.

Chief Adviser Fakhruddin visited the UK in March 2008. He met the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for International Development (DFID). Then Foreign Adviser Iftekhar Choudhury met the Foreign Secretary, David Miliband in London in September 2007. Earlier in April 2007 he met with Margaret Beckett, the then Foreign Secretary.

In October 2003, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) held its annual plenary conference in Dhaka attended by a delegation of British MPs and members of the House representing the UK branch of the CPA.

The relationship has also been shaped by the approx 500,000 (2001 Census) people of Bangladeshi origin in the UK (mostly from the Sylhet region) who help to keep the ties between the two countries strong. Anwar Choudhury’s (who is of Bangladeshi origin) appointment as the British High Commissioner to Bangladesh in May 2004 further highlighted this connection.

UK Development Assistance

The UK’s long-term goal is for Bangladesh to be a stable, prosperous and moderate democracy, playing a positive role in the global community. Our objectives are to embed democratic values; enable prosperity for all; and engender stability. The UK’s development programme is a significant part of the UK’s relationship with Bangladesh. Over the past three years we have spent over £350 million, and helped to:

  • lift more than half a million people out of extreme poverty
  • raise more than 20,000 flood prone homesteads on Char islands above 1988 flood levels
  • construct 14,000 new classrooms, and recruit 12,000 new teachers
  • provide basic education to 4.5 million children, through a non government programme
  • ensure 14 million urban dwellers have access to basic health services
  • enable more than 100,000 farmers gain improved access to markets.

The UK remains fully committed to working with the Government and people of Bangladesh to support their economic, social and political reform ambitions. We will do this by helping to:

  • build better governance
  • reduce extreme poverty and vulnerability to climate change, and eliminate seasonal hunger
  • increase jobs and incomes through private sector development; and
  • improve the availability and quality of basic health, education and water and sanitation services for the poor. 

GEOGRAPHY

Bangladesh has roughly the same land area as England and Wales. It is enclosed by Indian territory except for a short south-eastern frontier with Burma and borders the Bay of Bengal in the south. The alluvial plain of the Ganges-Brahmaputra river system - the largest delta in the world, forms most of the country; water flow is second only to that of the Amazon. To the east of the delta lie the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Flooding is normal and life has adapted to take account of this But occasionally excessive flooding, as in 1988, 1998, and 2004 causes widespread destruction and loss of life. Bangladesh remains vulnerable to natural disasters and to the impact of climate change. Arable land is extremely fertile. Bangladesh's principal natural resource is natural gas.

Climate

The climate is tropical and governed by the monsoon winds which in summer (June to September) bring very heavy rainfall (up to 200 inches), often accompanied by cyclonic storms. The short winter is mild and relatively dry. In winter the mean temperature is about 16 degrees centigrade (53F) and in summer 27 degrees centigrade (80F).

TRADE AND INVESTMENT

The bilateral commercial relationship between UK and Bangladesh is long-standing and destined to continue due to the close links between the two countries.

UK exports to and investment in Bangladesh: Exports

UK exports to Bangladesh have fluctuated over the past couple of years and 2005 saw an all time high. Due to the political unrest in 2007 export figures dropped slightly due to the uncertainty in the market.

UK Exports to Bangladesh, (£m)

YEAR 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
 		2008
VALUE 68.0 56.0 68.0 80.0 76.0 60.0
 		64.2


The UK's main exports to Bangladesh in 2008 were: -

  • General Industrial Machinery & Equipment £8.1m
  • Metalliferous Ores & Metal Scrap: £7.2m
  • Power Generating machinery & Equipment £6.3m
  • Machinery Speciallized for Particular Industries: £4.0m

UK exports to and investment in Bangladesh: Investment


The UK is one of the largest investor in Bangladesh with approximately £1.5 billion investment projects to date.  UK companies active in the market include; Cairn Energy, Standard Chartered, HSBC, Group 4 Security, Unilever, British American Tobacco, Tesco, M&S, Finlays, High Point Rendell and Duncan Brothers.  GSK have also invested in the pharmaceutical sector. In addition to the above, we are aware of a number of possible UK projects totalling $2 billion in the pipeline that are waiting approval.  Increasingly, British Bangladeshis are investing in their ancestral home.  Seamarks, in frozen seafood, FCI in clothing, Britannia Properties, Dhaka Regency Hotel and United Airlines are five good examples.

Approximately there are over 50 UK companies operating in the market with the vast majority being members of the British Business Group (BBG), which is the UK’s unofficial “Chamber” in Bangladesh. For more details of the BBG’s activities and membership visit their website at www.bbg.org.bd.

Bangladesh exports to and investment in UK: Exports


Bangladesh’s exports to the UK have increased significantly during recent years fuelled by the success in the ready-made garments segment.  In 2007, Bangladesh exports to the UK reached £718 million. Garments account for 80% of the country’s total sales to the UK with seafood the only other significant Bangladesh export. Their exports in 2008 reached a staggering £843.3 million up 17% on the previous year.

Bangladesh Exports to the UK, (£m)

YEAR
 		 2002 2003
 		2004
 		2005
 		2006
 		2007
 		2008
VALUE
 		 481.8  570.8 635.6
 		596.3
 		746.1
 		718.0
 		843.3





Exports

UK exports to Bangladesh have fluctuated over the past couple of years and 2005 saw an all time high. Due to the political unrest in 2006 export figures dropped slightly due to the uncertainty in the market.

UK Exports to Bangladesh, (£m)

 YEAR  2002 2003
 		2004
 		2005
 		2006
VALUE
 		68.0
 		56.0
 		68.0
 		80.0
 		76




The main exports to Bangladesh in 2006 were: -


  • Power Generating Machinery £14m
  • Scrap metal £7m
  • Medicinal & Pharmaceutical Products £3.5m
  • Textile fibres at £3m and

UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is aware of 100 or so UK companies who do business regularly in the market through agents.

Imports

Imports from Bangladesh to the UK have increased significantly during recent years fuelled by the success in the ready-made garments segment. However, the value has fallen away slightly since the withdrawal of the Multi-Fibre Agreement (MFA, at the end of 2004).

Garments account for 80% of the country’s total sales to the UK. Seafood is the only other significant Bangladesh export. Almost 10% of Bangladesh’s world-wide exports go to the UK.

Imports Bangladesh to UK, (£m)

 YEAR  2001 2002
 		2003
 		2004
 		2005
 		2006
 VALUE  455.2 481.8
 		570.8
 		635.6
 		596.3
 		746.1




HUMAN RIGHTS

Bangladesh signed the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in September 2000 and was re-elected to the UN Human Rights Council in 2009. She is also a signatory to the other five core human rights instruments.

Since coming to power the Caretaker Government has made a commitment to address human rights abuses. There have been some positive developments. However, the commitment has not yet translated into a clear improvement and State of Emergency remains in force.

Extra-judicial killings:

Since 2006 an estimated 1000 persons have been killed by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), the police, the armed forces or other paramilitary security forces. Although the government promised to show "zero tolerance" to extra-judicial killings and other human rights abuses during the examination of Bangladesh’s human rights record under the Universal Periodic Review process February 2009, the killings have continued and prosecutions have not followed. Many killings are excused as being in self-defence.

Violence against women:

Discrimination against women in Bangladesh is commonplace, and domestic violence, acid attacks and honour killings still take place. In March 2008, the government announced amendments to the National Women Development Policy to enhance equality for women. However, the amendments met fierce resistance from Islamist groups who rallied in protest, particularly on the issue of Islamic inheritance law. All amendments have yet to be implemented.

Chittagong Hill Tracts

There have been internal tensions since the 1960s between Bengali settlers and the tribal inhabitants of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), some 40,000 of whom were living in camps in India until the end of 1997. The Bangladesh government initiated discussions with representatives of the tribal inhabitants in December 1996 which resulted in Peace Accord being signed in December 1997. However, there are concerns by some of the tribal population who consider it flawed, and would like it to be renegotiated. There has been little progress on implementing the Peace Accord, and on settling land disputes (at the heart of many of the tensions between tribal inhabitants and Bengali settlers).

Whilst the government has reconstituted the high level national Committee for implementation of the Accord, most of the remaining provisions remain unimplemented.. Land disputes remains a substantial stumbling block, and the Land Disputes Resolution Commission is as yet inactive. The UK and international partners continue to urge the government to fully implement the Peace Accord.

Torture:

Bangladesh ratified the Convention against Torture (CAT) in 1998 and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in 2000. However, the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court 1998 that established the International Criminal Court, have not been ratified by Bangladesh.

Bangladesh constitution states that 'no person shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishment or treatment.' [Article 35(5)].

Death Penalty

Despite UK and EU lobbying, Bangladesh retains the death penalty. At least 185 people were sentenced to death in 2008, bringing the estimated number of prisoners on death row to at least 1,085. In December 2008, Bangladesh voted against a UN General Assembly resolution calling for a worldwide moratorium on executions.

National Human Rights Commission

This year before the Human Rights Day the council of advisers approved the National Human Rights Commission Ordinance 2007. The cabinet approved the ordinance to set up the long-awaited National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), which will function as a national human rights watchdog. 

Freedom of religion

Although initially Bangladesh opted for a secular nationalist ideology as embodied in its Constitution, the principle of secularism was subsequently replaced by a commitment to the Islamic way of life through a series of constitutional amendments and government proclamations between 1977 and 1988. The Constitution establishes Islam as the state religion but provides for the right to practice--subject to law, public order, and morality--the religion of one's choice.

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Contacts

Bangladesh

Address:

High Commission for the People's Republic of Bangladesh
28 Queen's Gate
London SW7 5JA

Telephone:

(020) 7584 0081

Fax:

(020) 7581 7477

Email: bhclondon@btconnect.com

Office hours:

Mon–Fri: 1000–1730
Consular Section
Mon–Thurs: 1000–1300 and delivery 1500–1630
Fri: 1030–1245 and delivery 1500–1630

Website: http://www.bangladeshhighcommission.org.uk/