Bangladesh signed its United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) agreement for 2012-2016 on 1 June 2011 at the Ministry of Finance, Bangladesh. The document was co-signed by Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, Secretary of the Economic Relations Division, Ministry of Finance, and Neal Walker, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Bangladesh, on behalf of 22 participating UN organizations. Following the official signing ceremony, signatures from both resident and non-resident UN agencies were arranged separately and Mr Dazhu Yang, Director of the Division for Asia and the Pacific, signed the UNDAF document on behalf of the IAEA. This UNDAF is Bangladesh's first to include IAEA activities. The document was developed based on a comprehensive MDG status assessment in Bangladesh and the key priorities defined in the Outline Perspective Plan of Bangladesh 2010-2021, and through extensive consultations among the UN Country Team including resident and non-resident agencies.
Bangladesh's new UNDAF addresses seven thematic priority areas or so called UNDAF Pillars:
- Democratic Governance and Human Rights
- Pro-poor Economic Growth with Equity
- Social Services for Human Development
- Food Security and Nutrition
- Climate Change, Environment, Disaster Risk Reduction and Response
- Pro-Poor Urban Development
- Gender Equality and Women's Advancement
The IAEA, through its technical cooperation programme, will contribute to the 3rd and the 4th strategic priorities, Social Services for Human Development and Food Security and Nutrition. The IAEA will work closely with the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) and Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture to strengthen national capability for improving agricultural productivity and reduction of losses. The IAEA will also work with the radiotherapy and nuclear medicine centres to strengthen and expand national capacity in cancer management and related human resources development activities.