The fact that UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, has applauded Bangladesh’s success in the economic sector means that all of the initiatives the authorities have taken for the economic growth of the country are starting to pay off.
Aside from praise like this acting as a recognition of the fact that we are headed in the right direction, there are other benefits that we can reap from such a commendation. Bangladesh has had a long-standing image in the international community of being a poor country to invest in. The growing FDI in the country and praise from people like Bachelet should help with the clearing up of such misgivings.
Of course, commendation like this means that we have to double down on our development initiatives and make sure that we can both maintain and improve upon the momentum we are currently showing. The recent economic zones should work as a charm for the attraction of FDI and the setting up of international businesses on Bangladeshi land.
We do have some issues we need to work out that will help our local entrepreneurs and businesses, and we have to facilitate better communications between both local and international stakeholders. As such, it is imperative that the government sits down with both of these parties and hears them out.
Conversely, this shouldn't take away from the fact that Bachelet stressed upon both the good and bad of the country. While her commendation of our economic growth is absolutely something that we can be proud of, her concerns regarding the human rights issues in the country is something that we need to properly take heed of.
Just like the economic growth of the country has been progressively getting better, the human rights situation has left plenty to be desired, with the country taking several steps backwards. No matter how rich a country is, if all people do not feel safe and cared for, that inevitably will be a cause for disaster. The authorities need to work on this issue to make sure such a disaster never happens.
All in all, however, the fact that we have come this far means that we have a good grasp of the basics -- at least on the economic side. To reiterate, we need to keep up and improve upon this economic momentum, alongside making sure that we are also taking note of our human rights condition.
