In March 2012, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) held the Subregional Workshop on Gender and Urban Poverty in South Asia to share experiences and enhance lateral learning among ADB and its project partners on addressing gender and social inclusion issues in urban development projects in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Participants included senior government officials, nongovernment organizations, community-based organizations, researchers, ADB urban and gender specialists, and representatives of international development agencies.This report presents the synthesis of knowledge, experiences, good practices, and recommendations shared at the forum with the aim of assisting ADB and its partner agencies in the planning of urban development projects to facilitate gender- and socially inclusive outcomes and reduce poverty in South Asia.
Since 2002, the Asian Development Bank has worked with the Government of Bangladesh on expanding the Urban Governance and Infrastructure Improvement Project (UGIIP), to revitalize 96 of the country’s 328 important secondary towns—pourashavas. Advancing Bangladesh's urban development through performance-based infrastructure financing for pourashavas improving their governance, UGIIP has transformed individual lives and whole communities—with livelihood training, inclusive organizations for better civic management, and new infrastructure creating healthier, sustainable environments for vulnerable residents. Including beneficiaries' personal stories, this report examines how the UGIIP strategy has stimulated simultaneous progress in Bangladesh's urban governance and infrastructure.