CARE President

Sept 13, 2006

Bangladesh could become less dependent on foreign aid: agency chief says<

By JULHAS ALAM

Associated Press Writer=

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) _ Bangladesh could become less dependent on foreign aid in the future if its economy continues to grow at a moderate pace, said a top official of an international aid agency on Wednesday.

"But it has a lot of issues like corruption to tackle with to get the real benefits from its economic growth," Helen D. Gayle, president and chief executive officer of CARE USA, told The Associated Press in the capital, Dhaka.

She said Bangladesh's economy is viewed as making progressing, but corruption is a serious issue that must be dealt with.

Bangladesh, which is largely dependent on foreign assistance, has been ranked by the Berlin-based corruption watchdog, Transparency International, as one of the world's most corrupt nations.

Gayle said scores of impoverished people around the world need foreign assistance due to disasters, both manmade and natural.

"A country like Bangladesh is in need of foreign aid, but I am sure if the economy continues to grow this way, the nation will be able to take care of its problems in the future with its own capacity," she said.

Bangladesh's economy has grown 5 percent annually over last few years, and the Asian Development Bank earlier this month forecast 6 percent growth in fiscal 2006. But almost half of its 144 million people still live on less than US$1 a day, despite improvements in various social indicators.

CARE works in Bangladesh in fields like poverty reduction, prevention of HIV/AIDS and disaster management.

Gayle said the Muslim-majority Bang, in which many people are reluctant to talk about sex, is at risk of rapidly spreading HIV/AIDS, if "the issues of prevention are not tackled properly."

The prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS is less than 1 percent, but the country is surrounded by high prevalence countries such as India and Myanmar.

"It's a real threat that must be thwarted," she said, adding that CARE's HIV/AIDS prevention programs will continue in Bangladesh.

Gayle was on a visit in the South Asian nation to see CARE programs.