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Context In 2023, while rising inflationary pressures posed a concern for Bangladesh’s economy, the country made a swift recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic which was supported by prudent macroeconomic policies. The estimated growth in the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was 6 per cent. This growth, however, has been accompanied by several challenges, including energy shortages, balance-of-payments deficit, and revenue collection which fell short of expectations. Alongside these developments, the country faced some significant humanitarian challenges, particularly due to disasters induced by natural hazards. Continuous monsoon rains in August, flash floods, landslides, dengue, Cyclone Mocha, Cyclone Hamoon, and Cyclone Midhili affected the lives and livelihoods of the people. On 16 April 2023, the capital city of Dhaka experienced a temperature of more than 40.6 degrees Celsius, the highest in the city in 58 years, underscoring the need for urgent environmental efforts to reduce the impact of climate change in the country. Aside from the above-mentioned challenges, road safety is one area which is of concern, with an estimated 5,425 people who were killed in 2023. With nearly 30 per cent of its population between the ages of 15 and 29, Bangladesh faces challenges in creating meaningful jobs. The country’s high rates of unemployment, low wages for workers, lack of access to education and health care, environmental degradation are factors contributing to both internal and external migration. Since 2017, Bangladesh has also become host to hundreds of thousands of people fleeing violence in the Rakhine state of Myanmar, one of the biggest population movement crises in the world. It is also home to the world’s largest refugee camp, Cox’s Bazar. The camp is in the southeast coastal district of the country and provides refuge to some 870,000 people from the Rakhine state of Myanmar. While the country faces challenges related to governance, civil society participation, climate change, social inclusion, and access to basic services, over the recent years Bangladesh has made significant progress in reducing the death toll of extreme weather events through the development of early warning systems and storm shelters, as well as reduction of poverty and improved education rates. The country aspires to achieve middleincome status by 2031 and to graduate from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category by 2026. In terms of healthcare, as the country becomes more urbanized and industrialized, it faces a triple burden of communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases, and injuries. Poor water and sanitation issues create extreme vulnerability to illnesses and diseases, mainly affecting populations living in urban poor areas.