Plage 2

A Vision for the 21st Century

Gender equality contributes substantially to improving the well-being of women, men, girls and boys in our partner countries, which is at the heart of CIDA's mission.

Although important progress has been made in recent years toward achieving gender equality, much remains to be done. Entering the 21st century, CIDA remains committed to creating, with our partners, a better world for all—a world where inequality on any grounds, be it gender, class, race or ethnicity, is finally overcome. CIDA's gender equality policy is one tool to make this vision a reality.

To find out more visit CIDA's Policy on Gender Equality homepage or download CIDA's Policy on Gender Equality in PDF format.

The Millennium Development Goals are to:

• Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger,
• Achieve universal primary education,
• Promote gender equality and empower women,
• Reduce child mortality,
• Improve maternal health,
• Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases,
• Ensure environmental sustainability, and
• Develop a global partnership for development—all by 2015.
  

No country can, on its own, meet these challenges of sustainable development. That's why Canada works as part of the global community—a global community that has formed a partnership around the UN Millennium Development Goals.

In compliance with the Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals, a detailed strategic environmental assessment (SEA) was conducted for this proposal. The SEA determined that the activities proposed in the initiative are likely to cause direct or evident environmental impacts and/or issues that should be addressed.

This Country Development Programming Framework (CDPF)'s goal is to contribute to poverty reduction and sustainable development through support for social development (health and education), governance, and the private sector.

In the absence of mitigation measures, impacts on human health as well as the following negative environmental effects could occur as a result of the implementation of initiatives under this programming framework: localized land disturbance, reduced water quality, land degradation, reductions in the quality and quantity of water resources, loss of biological diversity, habitat destruction, and reduced air quality. The SEA concluded that the negative impacts identified in the analysis are not significant.

Each initiative will be designed to promote sustainable development. In particular, initiatives promoting private sector-growth will consider how best to promote a competitive enabling environment while ensuring sustainable resource management and pollution prevention. In some cases, those considerations will be raised in the context of project environmental assessments under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA). In most cases, projects will not directly involve physical works or activities that would warrant establishing a CEAA checklist. Additional environmental analysis will be mandated separately. In the case of initiatives that deal with regulation or capacity building, the additional environmental analysis may take the form of more specific and focused subsidiary SEAs.

This CDPF will have significant environmental effects, which include: improved environmental performance as a result of governance reform on environmental and social responsibility, and a significant improvement of the country’s approach to natural resources management.

Consultation on this SEA was undertaken with senior staff in the Bangladesh Division and with the environment specialist in the Strategic Planning and Policy Division, Asia Branch, at CIDA.

This CDPF may need to be adjusted if severe negative environmental effects are experienced from natural disasters due to the changing climate or from the growth rates needed to achieve poverty reduction goals. The assessment recommended measures to monitor these risks in cooperation with other donor countries and the Government of Bangladesh.

For more information please visit CIDA’s Country Development Programming Framework for Bangladesh page.

Canada's development assistance program recognizes the vital link between poverty reduction and sustainable development, and is built on a broad array of programs and policies working together in an integrated way.

Poverty results from the lack of human, physical and financial capital needed to sustain livelihoods, and from inequities in access to, control of, and benefits from political, social or economic resources. In an interdependent world, poverty in developing countries increasingly affects the economic, social and political welfare of developed countries. Poverty can lead to serious global problems, such as environmental degradation, political and economic instability, and large-scale migration of people in search of a better life.

Poverty reduction is complex and difficult, and despite considerable programming experience in CIDA, it remains a challenge. CIDA's approach to poverty reduction will require:

• A better understanding of the country-specific and local characteristics of poverty;
• A coordinated use of project, program, institutional support and policy interventions to achieve maximum impact; and
• A clear view of CIDA's role and capabilities.
  

In this context, the policy will provide a framework for poverty reduction and will guide programming in each of the six programming priorities for ODA: basic human needs; women in development; infrastructure services; human rights, democracy and good governance; private sector development; and the environment.

In addresing the challenges posed by poverty, important distinctions must be made between "relief" and "reduction". Poverty relief addresses the poor's survival needs, their immediate problems, and the effects of inequities. It does not enable the poor to secure or sustain their livelihoods, or to end the ongoing cycle of poverty.

Poverty reduction is a process by which the causes of deprivation and inequity are addressed. Clearly, "relief" activities can be critical in dealing with famines and other disasters—indeed, short-term survival strategies are crucial for the extremely poor. However, the challenge lies in making the transition from the short-term response of relief activities to interventions which work to reduce poverty in the long run.

For more information please visit CIDA's Policy on Poverty Reduction or download the CIDA's Policy on Poverty Reduction in PDF format.