Research and Policy Integration for Development - RAPID

Today, আন্তর্জাতিক শ্রম সংস্থা - International Labour Organization, in collaboration with Global Worker Dialogue (GWD) and Research and Policy Integration for Development (RAPID) as research partners, organised a validation workshop to share the findings of the study ‘Workers in the Textile Recycling Value Chain, Bangladesh’.

The main presentation was delivered by Ms Daniela Ortega Sambo, GWD Director of Operations.

The opening remarks were delivered by Dr M Abu Eusuf, Executive Director, RAPID and Professor of Development Studies, University of Dhaka, and Mr Ronald Francis Johnson, Technical Specialist, Labour Inspection & OSH, ILO.

The workshop brought together representatives from government agencies, employers’ and workers’ organisations, industry associations, research institutions, civil society, and development partners.

The initiative is being implemented under the Advancing Decent Work in Bangladesh Project, co-funded by the Team Europe Initiative (TEI) – the European Union, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden – and Canada.

RAPID is pleased to see one of its policy advocacies reflected in the Government’s decision to revise Bangladesh’s fiscal year from July–June to April–March, starting from FY 2028–29.

RAPID has advocated for reconsidering Bangladesh’s fiscal year framework, including through the Development Letter “Rethinking Bangladesh’s Fiscal Year Time Frame,” authored by Dr M Abu Eusuf, Executive Director, RAPID and Professor, Department of Development Studies, University of Dhaka.

The shift to an April–March fiscal year has the potential to facilitate more effective public spending and better-aligned development implementation, particularly by reducing the constraints posed by the monsoon period under the existing fiscal calendar.

RAPID thanks the Government for taking this important step towards improving the effectiveness of public expenditure and development planning.

Capital machinery imports yet to recover

- Dr M A Razzaque, Chairman, RAPID

Some stability has returned to the economy during the BNP government's first six months. Remittance inflows have increased, helping rebuild foreign exchange reserves. Imports have also picked up, which is a positive sign.

However, capital machinery imports have yet to recover. Inflation also remains high, and despite some reduction in lending rates, private investment remains sluggish.

Therefore, the government's major challenges are to bring down inflation and attract private investment.

GDP growth is also under considerable pressure. The government's 6.5% growth target for the current fiscal year is unlikely to be achieved. Manufacturing's contribution to GDP has turned negative, and without a recovery in the sector, the economy will struggle to achieve the desired growth.

There has also been little progress in job creation over the past six months. It remains unclear whether the measures announced in the budget will be sufficient to spur investment. Perhaps the government itself does not have a clear answer.

The government's macroeconomic policy stance also lacks clarity. On the one hand, it is providing liquidity support to banks, lowering lending rates and offering stimulus packages. On the other hand, it has adopted a contractionary monetary policy.

The government has taken several initiatives to attract domestic and foreign investment, but these have yet to translate into stronger investment flows.

It is also preparing a five-year reform and development framework that may outline sector-specific priorities. But Bangladesh has always been good at producing policy documents; the problem is that implementation rarely matches the plans.

Macroeconomic stability returns, recovery yet to gain pace BNP govt inherited an economy that had stopped deteriorating rapidly but remained deeply fragile, and six months later some external indicators have improved while the real economy continues to struggle.

Today, আন্তর্জাতিক শ্রম সংস্থা - International Labour Organization, in collaboration with Global Worker Dialogue (GWD) and Research and Policy Integration for Development (RAPID) as research partners, organised a validation workshop to share the findings of the study “Workers in the Shrimp Value Chain: Hatcheries and Local Depots, Bangladesh.”

The main presentation was delivered by Mr Jahid Ebn Jalal, Deputy Director, RAPID. The opening remarks were delivered by Dr M Abu Eusuf, Executive Director, RAPID and Professor of Development Studies, University of Dhaka and Dr Guy Stuart, Executive Director, GWD.

The study examines the labour dimensions of human rights due diligence (HRDD) risks in Bangladesh’s shrimp value chain.

The workshop brought together representatives from government agencies, employers’ and workers’ organisations, industry associations, research institutions, civil society, and development partners. Following the presentation of the study findings, participants shared their insights through an open-floor discussion, helping validate the findings and identify key issues affecting workers across the shrimp value chain.

The initiative is being implemented under the Advancing Decent Work in Bangladesh Project, co-funded by the Team Europe Initiative (TEI) – the European Union, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden – and Canada.

On 9 August 2026, RAPID organised an in house Staff Seminar where Sharaboni Akter, Research Officer, presented her research findings from the study on "Expansion of Shrimp Production in Bangladesh – What Does the Satellite Data Look Like?"

🔗 You may find more about the presentation here: https://www.rapidbd.org/rapid-staff-member-seminar-series/

📢 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛 — 𝗥𝗔𝗣𝗜𝗗 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 | 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

👇 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀

#𝗥𝗔𝗣𝗜𝗗𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗵 #𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 #𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 #𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 #𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗵 #𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁

📢 Publication Alert | RAPID Working Paper

RAPID is pleased to share a working paper, Missing Revenues in Bangladesh: Tax Potential, Gaps, and Distributional Consequences, by Dr Mohammad Abdur Razzaque, Dr Md Deen Islam, and Tahsin Rifat.

Using HIES 2022 data, the paper examines Bangladesh's tax potential, estimates revenue gaps, and analyses the distributional impacts of the current tax system. It offers evidence-based recommendations for strengthening domestic resource mobilisation and building a fairer fiscal system.

📄 Read the full paper: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZxoUxtu9yfWElQvctl0Esus4oPd_o9pc/view

🎊 Congratulations to Jillur Rahman and Tahsin Rifat on being recognised as the staff members of July 2026. Your contributions and leadership skills are highly valued by RAPID.