Any global community-sponsored new development goals must have a clear and strong support mechanism and if not, it will be a hard task to attain those, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam said yesterday referring to the hurdle for attaining the MDGs.
He said the efforts of much of the developing world got constrained as the world faced challenges midway through the last decade due to triple crises of fuel, food and finance.
The new state minister was addressing a seminar titled Contemporary development debate: Bangladesh in the global context.
Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) organised it at its auditorium in the city as global community is preparing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that replaces the UN’s Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
“The countries like Bangladesh want the goals to be framed on values and principles like equity, inclusion, and common but differentiated responsibility and respective capacities,” he said addressing the inaugural session as the chief guest.
Dr Shamsul Alam, member of the General Economic Division of the Planning Commission, said Bangladesh received on average only $1.32 billion annually from 1990 to 2011, though, it needed foreign assistance to the tune of $5 billion and $3 billion per year under the baseline and high growth scenarios respectively.
At the seminar both foreign and local experts said Bangladesh has made significant achievements in several sectors. But in some sectors it lacks behind.
They said, according to MDG progress report, the population living below the poverty line reduced from 56.7% in 1991-91 to 29% in 2012, while primary school enrolment rate reached 98.7%. The rate of girl student enrolment is currently 99.4%.
Against the target of achieving 48 per 1,000 live births in 2015, Bangladesh has already achieved 44 per 1,000 live births in 2011.
Acknowledging the facts about the education system Neal Walker, UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh, said: “While school enrolment is high the challenge now is the quality of education,”
He also emphasized on reducing “profound malnutrition” and environmental degradation, while also promoting decent work, ownership of land and productive assets for the poor and inclusive social policies.
“Inequality will only worsen without these,” Walker said.
Centre for Policy Dialogue Executive Director Dr Mustafizur Rahman said: “Trade cannot be free if it is not fair.” He stressed on reforming global trade regime, mainly opening up of the labor marker of the developed countries.
He demanded that the developed countries support efficient energy development efforts that are very important for Bangladesh’s development.
He also suggested looking for increasing own financing by improving tax regimes at home, while also enhancing aid effectiveness, amid low overseas development assistance.
Brac University Vice-Chancellor Professor Ainun Nishat suggested imposing tax on the holidaymakers on travels, and withdrawing tax on the travel of the migrant workers as part of innovative resource mobilisation.
Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque, BIISS Director General Maj Gen SM Shafiuddin Ahmed, Chairman Munshi Faiz Ahmad, DFID Bangladesh Head Sarah Cooke, among others spoke on the occasion.
