Improved economic opportunities for the host communities of Cox’s Bazar: Exploring ways and piloting intervention for program formulation

This intervention aims at entrepreneurship promotion, skills development and job creation in Cox’s Bazar, South-Eastern district of Bangladesh, which has been hosting almost a million Rohingya refugees from neighbouring Myanmar since 2017. Through the market system development approach the intervention identifies root causes of decent work deficits, explores value chain creation opportunities to connect people to markets in tourism and fisheries sectors and provides skill development avenues for job creation. The intervention targets the district coordination committee of the National Coordination Committee for Workers Education (NCCWE) and Cox’s Bazar Chamber of Commerce and Industries. The hotel association, fisheries association, and other relevant business membership-based organizations and workers’ associations are also beneficiaries The expected results are twofold: (1) business associations and value chain actors in tourism and fisheries sectors design and pilot interventions to strengthen linkages with existing Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), promote entrepreneurship, and adopt OSH practices in the enterprises; and (2) an innovative, flexible and inclusive skills program including apprenticeship, recognition of prior learning for women, returnee migrants, other vulnerable groups of the Cox’s Bazar district is designed with the engagement of employers’ and workers’ organizations in the respective sectors.

Project symbol

BGD/20/01/RBS

Admin unit

CO-Dhaka

Start date

01/07/2020

End date

28/02/2022

Total allocation

421644

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

421644

Development Partners

Core voluntary funds (RBSA)

Country/Countries

Bangladesh

Outcomes

Outcome 4: Sustainable enterprises as generators of employment and promoters of innovation and decent work
Outcome 5: Skills and lifelong learning to facilitate access to and transitions in the labour market