Project profile — Sustainable Remediation in Ready-made Garments

• Bangladesh (100.00%)

• Other Social Infrastructure And Services: Labour Rights (16070) (11.00%)
• Business And Other Services: Responsible Business Conduct (25040) (13.00%)
• Other Multisector: Disaster Risk Reduction (43060) (76.00%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (not targeted)
• Participatory development and good governance (significant objective)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Children's issues (not targeted)
• Youth Issues (not targeted)
• Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR) (significant objective)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Disability (not targeted)
• Nutrition (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)

This multi-donor project supports the development of the ready-made garment industry in Bangladesh that employs over 4 million people and is a key contributor to Bangladesh’s economic growth. Designed to drive up the quality of jobs, the project takes a coordinated approach to addressing long-standing challenges facing Bangladesh’s ready-made garment industry and to securing lasting improvements in garment factory working conditions. The project focuses particular attention on improving gender equality and empowerment of women, who constitute 70% of the garment sector workforce and face significant gender equality challenges, including gender segregation, wage differentials, low literacy rates, lack of maternity protection, sexual harassment and gender-based violence, and lack of awareness and advocacy on women’s rights. Project activities include: (1) providing technical support for the timely remediation of 1,500 factories; (2) strengthening government capacity to better regulate industrial safety and establish an effective and gender-sensitive labour inspection system; (3) supporting the development of inclusive occupational safety and health policies and practices; and (4) implementing a scaled-up Better Work Program in Bangladesh, to improve garment sector compliance with international labour standards and competitiveness in global markets.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) 1,500 factories remediated to ensure their structural soundness and compliance with safety standards by the end of 2020; (2) effective regulation of industrial safety by government; (3) effective labour inspection system in place based on robust performance management, accountability and a sound gender equality culture, and an increased number of women in decision-making and leadership roles; (4) occupational safety and health improved in policy and practice ensuring the health, safety and well-being of all women and men workers; and (5) Better Work Bangladesh factories serve as models for compliance with international standards and employee health and safety.

Results achieved as of March 2023 include: (1) provided knowledge and capacity-building support for the Government of Bangladesh. The project improved industry inspection and factory compliance with Bangladesh government building and fire safety standards. It also helped to improve health and safety in the workplace. It corrected 54% of initial non-conformities in active factories (active factories), including those at escalation levels 1 to 3, now fully under the control of the Corrective Action Coordination Cell; (2) inspected over 1,500 garment factories for structural, fire and electrical safety; (3) developed and harmonized national standards and protocols for building inspections and remediation; (4) increased the capacity of the Factory and Plant Inspection Department to carry out labor inspections in a systematic, credible and accountable manner; (5) trained 800,000 garment workers in safety; (6) supported the government and employers in setting up occupational health and safety units, which led to the creation of safety committees in factories; (7) created a corps of union trainers in occupational health and safety; (8) helped reintegrate 300 Rana Plaza survivors into the job market; (9) launched the "Better Work Bangladesh" program to improve compliance in the ready-to-wear sector in order to enhance productivity; and (10) created and implemented a one-stop-shop and linked the Factory and Establishment Inspections Department, the Capital Development Authority and RAJUK, the Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defense to the national one-stop-shop system.

• Proactive disclosure