Rukhen Azad Email & Phone Number

Bangladesh

Project name: PRABRIDDHI-Local Economic Development (LED)As a strategic leader in stakeholder engagement and public affairs, I collaborate with government agencies, regulatory bodies, and key stakeholders to drive sustainable development and influence policy reforms. Under the PRABRIDDHI project, I led the development and implementation of Local Economic Development (LED) strategies, introduced innovative property tax reforms, and facilitated inter-governmental cooperation among partner cities. I also coordinated with the Local Government Division (LGD) and international partners to enhance capacity development, playing a pivotal role in shaping policies that strengthen local governance and boost municipal competitiveness.

Bangladesh

Project name: Support of Safety Retrofits and Environmental Upgrades in the Bangladeshi Ready-Made Garment (RMG) Sector (SSREU). Responsibilities: Support Bangladesh Bank, the implementing agency, to develop various technical documents for the project, such as the operational manual. To finalize the MoU and Technical Assistant Project Proposal (TAPP) together with the Economic Relationship Division (ERD) and the Ministry of Finance. In charge of several studies in safety and developed business cases for investment to upgrade the RMG factory’s security.

Bangladesh

Project name: Resilient and Inclusive Urban Development (RIUD)Assignment: Increase revenue by 20% and secure a 7% annual budget for poor settlements in five cities. Conduct governance analysis in project towns. Advise citizen representative groups in community planning, decision-making, and project selection for the participatory budgeting process.

Bangladesh

Project Name: Urban Management of Internal Migration due to Climate Change (UMIMCC):Assignment: Conduct and coordinate the project appraisal mission to finalize the project concept and negotiate with political and implementing partners. Analyzed internal migration hotspots and conducted mapping and baseline studies.

Bangladesh

Project name: Second Urban Governance and Infrastructure Improvement Project UGIIP-IIThe Project supports the improvement of urban governance and infrastructure and service delivery in 35 Pourashavas (secondary towns). The Project adopts the performance-based allocation of investment funds as an incentive mechanism for governance reform. Assignment: Coordinated with the Project Management Office (PMO) of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) to develop governance performance criteria for the project. Prepared organograms and assisted six pilot Pourashavas in setting up their staff structure for efficient service delivery. Introduced software and provided orientation to key officials on e-governance. Oriented mayors, councilors, and key officials about their roles and responsibilities.Achievement: Spearheaded the establishment and formalization of Town Level Coordination Committees (TLCC) and Ward Level Coordination Committees (WLCC), as well as crafted the Terms of References (ToR) for Community-Based Organizations (CBO) and Slum Improvement Committees (SIC). Successfully implemented these frameworks and tools in practical settings across 34 municipalities. Subsequently, contributed to a significant governmental initiative by advocating for and achieving the mandatory implementation of TLCC and WLCC in all municipalities across Bangladesh through an official government order. This effort was aimed at enhancing citizen engagement and community development on a national scale.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh

Rotterdam–The Hague Metropolitan Area, South Holland, Netherlands

Title of the assignment: Foster research contributions for the development of better management and progress of the ongoing urbanization in Mozambique. Main objectives of the study:On behalf of Cities Alliance, IHS has been implementing the research project in Mozambique. The main purposes of the research are to establish a scientific discussion on urbanization in Mozambique; to mobilize academia that is involved in research and that can support the discussion on urban policies; and to facilitate the dialogue between academia, public and private sectors to improve informed decision-making of stakeholders that influence urbanization patterns.

Sweden

Title of the assignment: Socio-economic Benchmark Survey for Third Urban Governance and Infrastructure Improvement Project / UGIIP III PPTAOrganization: Hifab International AB Main objectives of the study:The Third Urban Governance Infrastructure Improvement Project (UGIIP-III) will be implemented in 7 sample municipalities in the second stage with support from GoB and ADB, which at present is being developed by a PPTA team. The purpose of the survey is to get measure how smoothly the functioning /implementation of UGIAP, and their concomitant physical infrastructure interventions are in line with the fulfillment of the desired objectives. It will help to measure and understand whether the project has been successful in generating the expected benefits and whether the target beneficiaries have received the expected benefits. The survey will fulfill a moral obligation for many stakeholders involved in the project (representing donor, recipient country and executing agencies) to know and to be aware of what changes the project bring about in people’s lives and their immediate environment.

Germany

Title of the assignment: Consulting Services for Sanitation Action Plan and Technology Demonstrations for 30 Pourashava under A Technical Assistance (TA) supported by the Asian Development Bank intended to provide solutions to Pourashavas in Bangladesh on sanitation and sanitation-related services under the Third Urban Governance Infrastructure Improvement Project (UGIIP-III) with support from GoB and ADB, which at present is being developed by a PPTA team. The purpose of the survey to know the existing situation, sanitation situation analysis, assessment of demand-supply gap, and assessment of technology options are to get measure how smooth functioning /implementation of sanitation works are in line with the fulfilment of the desired objectives. The survey will fulfil a moral obligation for many stakeholders involved in the project (representing donor, recipient country and executing agencies) to know and to be aware of what changes the project bring about in people’s lives and their immediate environment.

Title of the assignment: Impact Evaluation for ADB-supported Interventions in Bangladesh's secondary education sector Main objectives of the study:Asian Development Bank (ADB) supports Bangladesh’s secondary education subsector. These interventions include (i) the provision of stipends and tuition waivers to selected students, (ii) the construction of schools in underserviced areas, (iii) the construction of classrooms in overcrowded schools, and (iv) efforts to improve educational quality through management and examination reform and curriculum and capacity development. The study assessed the impact of the stipend/ tuition waiver and construction interventions. The study’s final product is expected to provide ADB, the Government of Bangladesh (GoB), and other development partners with a holistic understanding of the effectiveness of the interventions the former has supported in Bangladesh’s secondary education subsector over the previous two decades.

Madrid, Spain

Title of the assignment: Strengthening the socio-economic and cultural rights of ethnic women in Bandarban The main objective of the impact study was to understand the impacts drawn by the project, especially at the beneficiary level. And to obtain the objective, the study emphasized looking into two specific aspects of project impacts, i.e., a) Inclusive growth of financial markets for the poor (women beneficiaries and their families), and b) Enhancement and dissemination of production systems and locally adapted techniques for increased production and diversification through sustainable use of resources.

Bangladesh

Title of the assignment: Special Evaluation Study of Poverty Impact of Road Projects in BangladeshADB loans to the road subsector in Bangladesh have aimed at reducing poverty by improving access to local communities and linking them to the major road networks. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ex-post impacts of ADB-financed road projects in Bangladesh. The study measured impacts that were attributed to the projects in achieving the intended impacts and outcomes; help improve ADB’s operational effectiveness at the project level and enhance the relevance of the ADB corporate results framework.

Bangladesh

Title of the assignment: Support the farmers of the most vulnerable population in the Chittagong Hill Tracks to ensure their food security.Main objectives of the study:The central goal of this program is to assess the impact of ongoing AIDA-supported food security project (the Integrated Food Security Program and the Food Security Enhancement Initiative) activities with partner NGOs on household food security in Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. In addition, to assess the impact of the activities, the project aims to build the capacity of the partner NGOs to measure the food security of their target population.

Bangladesh

Data International Ltd. (DI): A research Organization established in 1991 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to provide multi-disciplinary socio-economic consultancy services. Since its inception, DI has completed over three dozen assignments in the areas of trade and industry, health economics, education, and democracy, including several sector-related studies.

Diploma, Fiscal Decentralization & Local Government Financial Mgt (Pfd)

Professional Course On Participatory Budgeting

Professional Course

Training Course, Climate Change And Sustainable Development

Advance Professional Training Course, Monitoring And Evaluation

Advance Professional Training Course, Monitoring And Evaluation

Bss & Mss, Political Science And Government

International Program, Human Environments In A Changing World

Postgraduate Diploma, Local Economic Development