They made the recommendation while speaking at a symposium organized by United Nations Association Bangladesh marking the 73rd Anniversary of the United Nations titled “SDG for Equitable Prosperity” at CIRDAP auditorium in the city.
“Bangladesh has been a model in the adoption and implementation of MDGs even for other countries, and all hope that SDGs will similarly be achieved by Bangladesh in time” said Former Governor of Bangladesh Bank Dr Md Farashuddin adding that while it fell to the father, Bangbandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman introduced Bangladesh to the world through the UN United Nation and his daughter’s dynamic leadership is moving forward Bangladesh to no one.
Farash Uddin, also Former Founding Vice-Chancellor of East West University, said “In 1974-75 fiscal year, the last of Bangbandhu regime, the average GDP growth was 7.8 percent – almost the exact same as our planning minister has set target in present year. We have taken almost 47 years to reach Bangabandhu’s standard”.
Praising the prime minister’s leadership, he said that no country in the world divides its tasks between ministries Bangladesh divides its tasks among related ministry. The rate of child mortality now is 29 per thousand which was 197 per thousand of the population in 2000 AD, the year that kicked off the MDGs.
“Bangladesh has to reduce income discrimination, wealth discrimination, opportunity discrimination and micro import to continue running growth,” Dr Farashuddin added.
Director General of Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Ministry Ms Nahida Sobhan said that the UN has three criteria -- Economic Vulnerability Index, Human Asset Index and Per Capita GNI—out of which at least 2 need to be met and sustained to graduate out of the LDC club.
Bangladesh is of course in the process of doing so, having filled the requirement on not one, not two but all three of the criteria. But the UN-designated process for exiting the LDC club is deliberately staggered out over a number of years to allow the economy to prove its sustainable
UNAB President Kazi Wadud and UNIC’s Moniruzzaman also spoke at the program.