With Bangladesh's rapid growth and the promise of graduation from a least developed country (LDC) to a middle-income economy just around the corner, we must remember that Bangladesh has also committed to fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
To that end, it is good to see that the authorities concerned remain conscious about this promise, and acknowledge that much work needs to be done over the next few years for us to successfully hit our targets.
Indeed, Bangladesh was making remarkable progress in implementing the SDGs until the Covid-19 pandemic caused entire economies to lose their expected trajectory. However, with the worst of the pandemic now behind us, it is time for Bangladesh to double down and ensure that it is enacting the right policies to fulfil the SDGs.
For that, as we steer the country towards a new era of progress and innovation, we must remember that sustainability must always be a guiding principle; in recent years, certain decisions to boost our growth has not necessarily aligned with being the most sustainable of choices, and moving forward, we cannot have this unchecked approach.
This means not just the authorities concerned and the public sector, but the private sector and indeed the whole of society need to be aligned; it is only when we have strong and effective public-private partnership, together with assistance and guidance from the international community, will we succeed.
The world is changing faster than ever, and Bangladesh will be facing numerous challenges and roadblocks in its quest for the ultimate ambition of becoming a high-income country in less than two decades. It is imperative we stay on course and continue making the right decisions so that we can build the nation every Bangladeshi wants to live in.