Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called on the international community to find ways to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the UN General Assembly.
Published : 30 Sep 2015, 09:01 PM
Otherwise, she has apprehended, achieving the goals would face difficulties from very beginning.
Addressing a high-level discussion on "MDGS to SDGs: A Way Forward", at UN Headquarters in New York on Tuesday the prime minister said, “We will have to mobilise resources from all sources be it public or private, domestic or international for the implementation of SDGs.”
The discussion was organised by Bangladesh on the sidelines of the 70th UN General Assembly, reported the national news agency, BSS.
She also expressed the resolve to take the country forward by setting another example by implementing SDGs as Bangladesh did in case of MDGs.
"In this journey, no one will be left behind as we aspire to build Bangladesh as a progressive, peaceful and prosperous country," Hasina said.
Bangladesh needed extensive support to meet technology, developmental and climate challenges, she pointed out.
“Bangladesh needs environment-friendly technologies particularly in sectors like health, agriculture, energy and transport,” she added.
Highlighting the outcome of MDG implementation, the prime minister said during that period Bangladesh considerably reduced extreme poverty and improved access to basic education, health services, water and sanitation.
She also pointed out that during the last six years Bangladesh’s GDP grew at over six percent despite global slowdown.
“In the past decade, country’s export has increased more than threefold while there has been almost a seven-fold increase in foreign exchange reserves.”
“This year Bangladesh achieved the status of lower- middle income country as per the World Bank classification and efforts are on to make it a middle-income country by 2021,” she added.
Highlighting the various steps taken by her government for the development of Bangladesh and its people, Hasina said, “Bangladesh always gave priority to people in all its national planning.
“Continuing with that approach, the Planning Commission is preparing the next Five Year Plan (2016 - 2020) incorporating the new global Agenda.”
For the effective implementation of the plan and to ensure coordination, she also announced to formulate a concerted strategy under the supervision of her office.
King of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander, President of the Republic of Benin Thomas Boni Yayi, Prime Minister of Sweden Stefan Löfven, President of the UN General Assembly Mogens Lykketoft, UNDP Administrator Helen Clark, UN Under Secretary General and representative of UN Secretary General, Gayan Chandra Achariya, and Special Envoy to World Bank President Mahmud Mohiuddin also spoke on the occasion.