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Asia
Relations between Bangladesh and Germany have been friendly ever since the country gained independence in 1972. Today, Germany is the second biggest market for exports from the country located on the Gulf of Bengal after the US. Germany is held in high regard in Bangladesh as a long-standing and reliable partner in development cooperation. The German churches and numerous non-governmental organisations, together with their local partner organisations, are also engaged in efforts to promote development in Bangladesh.
Life in Bangladesh is largely influenced by the country's rivers. The waters of the Ganges, the Jamuna and the Meghna are essential to people's livelihoods, since they make the soil fertile. The lowlands, only a few metres above sea level, produce up to three harvests a year.
But the rivers also pose a major threat. Monsoon rains, high water levels and tropical storms regularly cause flooding and have been responsible for tens of thousands of deaths since 1970. Today, special shelters offer people greater safety during flooding, but they are unable to prevent the destruction of infrastructure and harvests. Global climate change is set to reinforce these phenomena, which is why Bangladesh is urgently seeking international support to help it adapt to these climatic changes.
Political life in Bangladesh is defined by the continuing rivalry between the country's two biggest parties, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Awami League (AL). Clientelism and corruption are widespread. In the wake of serious unrest, a caretaker government headed by Fakhruddin Ahmed and backed up by the armed forces was established in early 2007. This government has been able to calm the political situation within the country, has introduced a number of institutional reforms, and conducted free and fair elections at the end of 2008. The country's new Prime Minister as of January 2009 is Sheikh Hasina from the AL. Despite a large degree of political stability, however, old rivalries continue unchanged from the past: the opposition BNP has so far refused to cooperate in the work of parliament and boycotts assembly meetings.
Development cooperation
Bangladesh is one of the world's least developed countries. According to figures from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) about 80 per cent of the population lives on less than two dollars a day, and about half the country's people are classified as living in extreme poverty. Unemployment is high.
The Human Development Index ranks Bangladesh 146th out of 182 nations
(HDI 2009).
Germany supports Bangladesh particularly in the fields of good governance, human rights and local municipal development, developing the health system, improving energy efficiency and promoting renewable energies. In addition, support is also being provided for a programme aimed at reducing the impacts of climate change and preserving biodiversity in Bangladesh.
German Embassy
German Embassy in Bangladesh
178, Gulshan Avenue
Gulshan – 2
Dhaka – 1212
Phone: +880 / 2 / 885 35 21
Fax: +880 / 2 / 885 32 60
