History
1949 UNICEF establishes a field office in Bangkok with responsibilities over East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). 1951 UNICEF opens its first office in Dacca (now Dhaka), East Pakistan, comprising two professional staff and one driver. Between 1950 and 1970, UNICEF works closely with the Secretariat of Health on tuberculosis vaccination, smallpox eradication, malaria prevention, cholera control, the development of maternal and child health services and the training of health care providers. Other programmes cover the provision of latrines, improvements to water supply and support for various education, training and livelihood development initiatives. 1970 A cyclone of devastating power hits costal areas on 12 November, killing half a million people. 4.5 million lose their land, homes, fishing boats or livestock. UNICEF repairs and rebuilds more than 11,500 wells and releases 1,000 tons of rice and other relief supplies. 1971 Ten million people flee to India during the War of Liberation against Pakistan. UNICEF works with other UN agencies in Calcutta to provide shelter, food, sanitation supplies, safe water and cooking utensils to the refugees. UNICEF supports supplementary food distribution for 650,000 children in the refugee camps. On 1 August, George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh directs global attention at the unfolding humanitarian crisis and raises funds for UNICEF’s work with the refugees. The concert was the first of its kind and is recognized as the inspiration behind more recent humanitarian fundraising events. Album and film sales continue to raise awareness. Bangladesh wins independence on 16 December. The war leaves a ravaged economy and a deep scar in the nation's psyche. 1974 Bangladesh joins the United Nations on 17 September. 1977 UNICEF collaborates for the first time with the new Government of Bangladesh, under the Joint Government/UNICEF Advisory Group (JGUAG). The group provides continued assessment of the situation of women and children and suggests development programmes to address their rights. 1978 Bangladesh achieves a rate of one hand-pump per 250 inhabitants, thanks in part to the 300,000 tube-wells already sunk by UNICEF. 1979 With support from UNICEF, the Government of Bangladesh launches a national oral rehydration campaign. Developed in Bangladesh and initially used to treat refugee children suffering from cholera, oral rehydration solution (ORS) is a mixture of water, salt and glucose in the correct proportions to treat diarrhoea.
1984 UNICEF supports Grameen Bank to develop the Sixteen Decisions, under which poor women borrowing from the pioneering microfinance organization promise to educate and care for themselves, their children and their community. 1985 UNICEF works with the Government and local and international partners to launch the expanded programme on immunization. In five years, the number of fully immunized children under the age of one will jump from 2 per cent to 62 per cent. 1990 Bangladesh ratifies the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 26 January. 1992 Meena is born. Meena is a fictional nine-year-old girl who champions the rights of children in books, films, posters and radio plays across Bangladesh, and later throughout South Asia. 1993 Naturally-occurring arsenic is detected in the groundwater, drastically reducing the number of people who have access to safe water. UNICEF works with the Government to begin testing tube-wells for contamination and initiates a communication plan to mark all tested wells with red or green paint. 1995 Garment manufacturers and exporters sign a memorandum of understanding with UNICEF and the International Labour Organization agreeing to eliminate child labour in the garment industry in Bangladesh. 1996 UNICEF and the Government launch the IDEAL project: an education initiative aiming to improve the quality of education in primary schools. The project targets over half of all primary schools in Bangladesh. 2007 Severe flooding and Cyclone Sidr affect over 14 million people. By December, UNICEF provides over 22 million USD in emergency supplies and relief assistance. Lessons learnt from similar floods in 1988 and 2004, and a cyclone in 1991 help mitigate the disaster and save thousands of lives. Today With a staff of more than 220 in Bangladesh, UNICEF contributes about US$40-50 million annually to Bangladesh’s development sector. UNICEF works in collaboration with the Government of Bangladesh and other key partners.
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