The project titled 'Accelerating progress towards maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity reduction' will be jointly implemented by the government, UNFPA, UNICEF and WHO.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this regard was signed between the three participating agencies at a city hotel on Thursday.

UNFPA Representative Pornchai Suchitta, UNICEF Representative Louis-Georges Arsenault and Acting WHO Representative Dr Khaled Hassan signed the MoU.

An agreement of funding was also signed between Pornchai Suchitta and Sarah Sanyahumbi, acting country representative of DFID Bangladesh, on behalf of their respective organisations.

The five-year project will start next month with an emphasis on addressing the equity issues to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5.

In the first phase, the DFID and the EC will provide $ 8.3 million to implement the project in four districts. Later, it will be implemented in 20 districts.

UNFPA Representative Pornchai Suchitta said that although Bangladesh has made significant progress towards the improvement of both child and maternal survival, formidable challenges still remain, particularly in implementing effective and efficacious interventions at a national level.

He also said that maternal mortality and neonatal mortality, estimated to be 320 per 100,000 and 41 per 1000 live births respectively, are still unacceptably high.

With the progress that the country has made in reducing mortality and morbidity from infectious causes, neonatal mortality now accounts for over 66 percent of overall infant deaths, he said.

Health and Family Welfare Adviser Maj Gen ASM Matiur Rahman was present at the signing ceremony as the chief guest.

He said the government is committed to reducing maternal and neonatal mortality and has been working to improve the health of women and children and also to attain MDGs 4 and 5.

Ehsan Ul Fattah, secretary to the health ministry, Louis-Georges Arsenault, Sarah Sanyahumbi and Dr Khaled Hassan also spoke.