RTI Collaboration in Bangladesh Aims to Improve Infrastructure Climate Resilience

On September 19, RTI International, a nonprofit research institute in collaboration with Rajdhani Unnayan Katripakkha (RAJUK), GoB officials, and the World Bank, organized the launch ceremony of the Electronic Construction Permit System (ECPS). The ECPS is an online platform to process applications for approval of new structure development. This system will improve the human conditions of Bangladesh through strengthening climate and disaster resilience.

This is the latest development from the World Bank funded Urban Resilience Project in Bangladesh. The project was approved in 2015 with the objective of “strengthening the capacity of the Government of Bangladesh agencies to respond to emergency events and reduce the vulnerability of buildings.” By streamlining the application process, the ECPS allows for building developers to follow the strict building code during building construction.  

“For a business that has been following certain procedures for more than five decades, changing directions and process isn’t easy, and despite all the obstacles, the team was able to prepare and deploy the ECPS in only 2.5 years, which will improve the governance of RAJUK,” said Rafi Alam, Program Director & Governance Specialist for RTI International. “This will help Bangladesh advance in achieving its vision of gaining the status of the High Income Country (HIC) by 2041.”   

Rebecca Nicholson, Vice President Environmental Engineering and Economics, RTI International, gave a congratulatory speech at the ceremony. ”RTI has valued its partnership with RAJUK and the World Bank, to develop the Electronic Construction Permit System,” said Nicholson. “The ECPS will be the first governmental e-system in Bangladesh and will not only make the construction permitting system more efficient and more transparent. It will improve Dhaka’s standard of living by improving public confidence and reducing the vulnerability of disasters.”

The World Bank plans to close this project April 30, 2022. The benefits of the ECPS however will stretch far beyond this timeframe and will be crucial in sustaining a disaster resilient infrastructure in Bangladesh.

Learn more about RTI’s work in climate change and resilience.