BBS, WFP in deal to strengthen national statistics

The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and World Food Programme (WFP) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) today to collaborate on poverty, undernutrition and food security surveys.

The organisations will also work together on policy advocacy studies for an upcoming 9th five-year plan, said a press release issued after the MoU signed at an event in Dhaka.

Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, director general of the BBS, and Dom Scalpelli, country director of Bangladesh at the WFP, inked the MoU.

The MoU aims to mobilise "Data for Life" and strengthen official statistics, focusing on achieving zero hunger and supporting sustainable development goals (SDGs) 2 and 17.

"We have jointly produced poverty and undernutrition maps and have been involved in policy research, like the Urban Socioeconomic Assessment Survey 2019 and the Vulnerable Group Development Survey," said Scalpelli.

"Our latest endeavour, the Food Security Assessment and Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) Survey 2023, where the WFP supported in training, analysis, and report writing, is a testament to our combined efforts towards addressing hunger and undernutrition in Bangladesh," the country director added.

BBS DG Rahman said the MoU is a step forward in integrating food security indicators into our surveys, like the Sample Vital Registration System Survey," said Rahman.

"This collaboration is essential for informing the government's 9th Five-Year Plan and enhancing our efforts to monitor progress towards the SDGs," he said.