Bangladesh urges donors to align programmes to UN SDGs

The government has asked the development partners to align their strategies within the framework of the SDG targets “relevant” for Bangladesh, a member of the Planning Commission says.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 24 August 2016, 08:03 PM
Updated : 24 August 2016, 08:03 PM

Prof Shamsul Alam said they would carry out “thematic and goal wise consultation” with stakeholders from private sector and development partners on a large scale.

This would be on setting the action plans and development of monitoring framework of the SDGs, he said speaking at a seminar on SDGs and the challenges to their implementation and policy options on Wednesday.

The Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies organsied the seminar with Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali as chief guest.

World leaders last year adopted Agenda 2030, incorporating 17 goals and 169 targets, after a long process of deliberations.

The foreign minister said it was a “comprehensive pathway” to development, but its implementation in a country like Bangladesh was “not easy”.

He said Bangladesh had already aligned the SDGs with national programmes, including the Seventh Five-Year plan, but there were challenges ahead.

Prof Alam said a “vibrant multi-stakeholder” mechanism is needed to support the government in implementing SDGs, particularly in participatory monitoring and accountability.

He said the government had already done the mapping of the ministries or divisions by SDGs targets - who to do what in terms of targets.

According to him, Bangladesh was well-aligned with the SDGs as most of its proposals were incorporated in the final agenda.

In 2013, Bangladesh came up with a post-2015 development agenda proposal suggesting 11 goals with 58 targets with corresponding 241 measurable indicators to be implemented by 2030.

“Ten specific thrusts of Bangladesh proposals are common with the UN adopted SDGs. The rest goal appeared as target in SDGs,” he said.

The Planning Commission member said of the 169 targets, 126 would need direct intervention and policy support from the implementing ministries. The rest have been identified as means of implementation which would also require global partnership led by the foreign ministry and the ERD.

Palli Karma Sohayak Foundation (PKSF) Chairman Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad highlighted the differences between the MDGs and SDGs and said in the new development agenda “you cannot leave anybody behind.”

He also sounded optimism that Bangladesh would be able to implement the mammoth SDGs.

“We could achieve MDGs with little international support. We can do it (SDGs) with our own resources,” he said.

“If we can focus on three goals – poverty, hunger and inequality – then the others will fall into the place.”

He, however, stressed on tapping the capacity of available human resources.

“I don’t think we lack in capacity. We need to enhance the available capacity. There are people who can contribute but they have remained untapped.”