DEVELOPMENT CO-OPERATION AT THE DAWN OF THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY BANGLADESH-GERMAN PARTNERSHIP IN PERSPECTIVE

Framed around three decades of partnership, this book assesses Bangladesh–German development cooperation at a moment of global rethinking on aid effectiveness. It reviews sectoral engagements in power and energy efficiency, health, primary education, local governance, disaster management and financial systems, highlighting how program design evolved from projectized inputs to results-based, country-led approaches. The authors evaluate what worked—long-horizon commitments, co-financing, technical assistance that built lasting capacity—and what underperformed—fragmented pilots, weak monitoring and limited policy dialogue in early years. The text situates bilateral work within multilateral shifts: the move to sector-wide approaches, debt relief debates, and the emerging MDG framework. Attention is paid to fiduciary safeguards, anti-corruption measures, environmental and social standards, and the rise of civil society participation. The book argues that credible public financial management, transparency and mutual accountability are the bedrock of sustainable cooperation. By offering candid reflections and evidence of outcomes, it contributes to a more mature, performance-oriented development partnership going into the twenty-first century.