Bangladesh will achieve SDGs as well, says PM Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said she hopes that the global community will continue to assist Bangladesh in its efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“We are committed to maximum utilisation of resources for collective development,” she said while inaugurating the Bangladesh Development Forum-2015 at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka on Sunday.

“Our government has worked out plans to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. We firmly believe that the international community will continue its assistance toward helping us in our endeavour.”

Highlighting the country’s success in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the prime minister said, “I hope we will achieve the Sustainable Development Goals as well." 

Laying stress on Bangladesh's potential, Hasina said: “We have all the means to create a dynamic economy.

“Our aim is to make Bangladesh an upper middle-income country by 2021 and a developed one by 2041 through inclusive development.”

“Massive investment is required to achieve the SDGs. We have partnerships with different countries and international organisations, including the private sector. That is crucial to ensure development,” she added.

Hasina stressed the need for regional, sub-regional and bilateral cooperation for balanced mutual development and drew attention to Bangladesh’s role in such regional forums as SAARC, BIMSTEC and BCIM.

“We have started working on infrastructure development in the region to help boost trade and connectivity with neighbouring India, Nepal and Bhutan."

The development partners can play a major role in augmenting bilateral and regional cooperation in information technology, energy, power, agriculture, trade and commerce, environment and technical sectors, she said.

“In 1991, 56.7 percent of our population were below the poverty line. We have brought it down to 22.4 percent. The number of ultra-poor has dropped to 7.9 percent of the population.”

“We want to get rid of hunger and poverty by 2021. Our target is to bring down the number of people below the poverty line to 14 percent by 2021.”

The annual development programme (ADP) has increased three times in volume over the past six years, Hasina said. “Bangladesh is gradually becoming less dependent on foreign assistance.”

The prime minister said Bangladesh had created its own funds to tackle the adverse impact of climate change.

It may be noted that the Bangladesh Development Forum, an initiative of the government’s Economic Relations Division, is being held after a gap of five years.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith, President-designate of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank ‎Jin Liqun and Vice President of Asian Development Bank Wencai Zhang, among others, addressed the inaugural session of the two-day event.