Introduction

On April 24th 2013 1134 people were killed and hundreds were injured when the Rana Plaza building in Savar, Bangladesh collapsed. The unprecedented scale of the disaster meant a coordinated, systematic approach was required to ensure the victims, their families and dependents would not have to endure ill-health and financial hardship resulting from the death of a family member or life changing injuries. The Rana Plaza Arrangement was established with this objective in late 2013.

The Rana Plaza Arrangement was a ground-breaking initiative, which, for the first time, brought together representatives from along the supply chain to agree a comprehensive and independent process that would deliver loss of income payments to those families impacted by the Rana Plaza disaster. Between March 2014 and October 2015 the Arrangement distributed almost $30 million directly to the Rana Plaza victims, with a further $1 million paid to cover ongoing medical costs.