Bangladesh

The ILO set up its country office in Bangladesh in 1973. Since then the ILO has been contributing to national endeavours for promoting and strengthening social justice and economic development of the country through various means of actions. These include:

• Providing advisory services and support to capacity building of social partners (Government and employers and workers organizations);
• Technical cooperation activities in support of ratification and implementation of international labour standards and promotion of ILO's fundamental principles and rights at work;
• Technical coopertion programmes and projects in the areas of vocational training, employment, child labour, employment promotion of women and disadvantaged group and occupational safty and health.

  The Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) which is being implemented has three country priorities identified for the current biennium namely (i) The country remains competitive post-MFA and promotes decent and productive employment for its workforce; (ii) Fundamental principles and rights at work are promoted including progressive elimination of WFCL; and (iii) Other areas of work including 'capacity building' of the constituents, vocational training system reforms, migration.

  Besides the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the ILO also works with other government ministries and departments as part of its ongoing work.

  As regards employers, the Bangladesh Employers Federation, which represents more than 90% of the major employers in the country, remains ILO's main contact.

  There are 32 national TU federations in the country. The ILO has encouraged the unions to work together and speak in once voice. Currently, 14 TU federations have formed a loose grouping which is named as the National Coordination Committee on Workers Education (NCCWE). The NCCWE is the ILO's main partner for activities at the country level.

• Capital: Dhaka
• Land Area:144,000 sq km
• Population: 144,319,628 (July 2005 est.)
• GDP/PPP(a) 2005:283,225 (millions of international dollars)(b)
  Source:
  (a) PPP is purchasing power parity; an international dollar has the same purchasing power over GDP as a U.S. dollar has in the United States.
  (b) World Development Indicators database, World Bank, 1 July 2006

Governments / Institutions

• Ministry of Labour and Employment
  Government of Bangladesh
  Bangladesh Secretariat
  Dhaka
  Bangladesh
  State Minister: Hon'ble Mr. Md. Aman Ullah Aman MP
  Tel: (88 02) 716 8881 : Fax (88 02) 716 0688
  Secretary: Mr. Syed Shujaddin Ahmad
  Tel: (88 02) 716 2141 : Fax: (88 02) 716 8660
  

Employers' Organizations

• Bangladesh Employers' Federation
  Chamber Building
  122/124, Motijheel Commercial Area
  Dhaka
  Bangladesh
  Tel: (88 02) 9565108 - 10 : Fax: (88 02) 9565212
  Email:
  Website:
  Président: Mr. Syed Manzur Elahi
  Vice-president: Mr. Obaidur Rahman Khan
  Secretary General: Mr. C.K. Hyder

Workers' Organizations

• National Coordination Committee on Workers Education (NCCWE)
  Bangladesh Mukta Sramik Federation
  House 4/1, Block - E, Lalmatia
  Dhaka
  Bangladesh
  Tel: (88 02) 9135648/9138544
  Fax:
  Email:
  Website:
  Chairman, NCCWE: Mr. Mujibur Rahman Bhuiyan
  
• Bangladesh Jatiya Sramik Federation
  15 A, Purana Paltan
  Dhaka
  Bangladesh
  Fax:
  Email:
  Website:
  Member Secretary: Mr. Zakir Hossain
  Tel: (88 02) 9559093

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