Australian aid increased by $A 22m
Australia will provide an estimated $A92 million (Tk 710 crore) in official development assistance (ODA) to Bangladesh in 2011-12, an increase of $A22 million from the previous year.
The decision was made as part of the Australian government’s announcement of its 2011-12 national budget released in Canberra earlier this week, said a press release.
Welcoming the announcement, Australian High Commissioner in Dhaka Dr Justin Lee said, "This increase in aid funding emphasises Australia’s long-term commitment to cooperate with Bangladesh to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development."
He said Australia has now almost trebled its development assistance to Bangladesh since 2006-07.
Managed by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), Australia’s aid programme in Bangladesh will retain a strong focus on improving healthcare and primary education and expand Australia’s support to reduce extreme poverty and strengthen resilience to natural disasters and climate change.
The increase in Australian assistance reflects Australia’s ongoing commitment to scale up its development assistance programme to 0.05 percent of Gross National Income (GNI) by 2015-16, said the release.
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