British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke visited (from 15 to 16 Sept) the Chattogram Hill Tracts to witness firsthand the impact of UK-funded health programmes supporting marginalised communities in the region.
During her visit to Khagrachari and Rangamati, the High Commissioner saw how funding from the UK Government, in partnership with the Government of Bangladesh, the UN and local partners, has helped improve maternal and child health in the Hill Tracts. Visiting local health centres, she observed how the UK Government has supported mothers to give birth safely, access family planning and also access life-saving cervical cancer screening for the first time.
The UK is also funding education programmes in the region, to strengthen government education systems and provide catch-up education to help previously out-of-school children, especially girls, return to mainstream education.
British High Commissioner Sarah Cooke said:“I’m delighted to visit the Chattogram Hill Tracts for the first time as High Commissioner. I’ve really enjoyed seeing the beautiful natural landscape as well as the warmth and hospitality of the people.
“I am proud that, through our partnership with the Government of Bangladesh and our UN and local partners, the UK has supported marginalised and indigenous communities access improved health services and get an education in some of the most remote parts of the country.”
The UK is committed to inclusive development in Bangladesh, to ensure that no one is left behind, and to supporting the rights of indigenous communities and minority groups in the CHT and across the country.
