Multi-sectoral Initiative: A critical overview of the Accord in Bangladesh
Mahmudul H Sumon*
Abstract: The paper discusses how a key post-Tazreen/ Rana Plaza initiative, namely the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh (Accord), a transnational/ multisectoral initiative meant to address worker’s health and safety at the Ready-Made Garments industry has gone into a transformation and nationalized in Bangladesh. The transformation indicates not only friction between the Accord and the local business elite but also a clear collaboration between the government and the local business elite when it comes to questions of governance of Bangladesh’s garments sector. Through reviewing newspaper reports and analyzing some government statements, and other secondary sources, the paper builds around an increasingly important set of literature on neoliberal global order and its forging of global connections and import in the global south.
Key words: Multi-sectoral Initiatives, NGOs, Trade Union, Transnational governance, Bangladesh Accord, Garments industry.
* Professor, Department of Anthropology, Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh Email: sumonmahmud@juniv.edu