BB chief for habitat security

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FE Report
Bangladesh Bank (BB) governor Atiur Rahman Monday underscored the need for habitat security for the extreme poor, saying clustered housing would help optimise land use while protecting the environment.
"Poverty should not be measured in terms of income, it's also about habitat security," he said.
"Floating people and those without asset need to be clustered into dwellings with basic facilities such as water and sanitation, gas and electricity supply. This will ensure optimal land use," he told a conference in the city organised jointly by UN ESCAP and the Bangladesh government.
The central bank chief said the cluster of these shelters must focus on issues of energy efficiency and the changing climate.
According to various studies, Bangladesh loses 1.0 per cent of its land each year, reinforcing the need for maximum utilization of the potential of scarce resources in order to ensure sustainable development.
Former finance adviser Mirza Azizul Islam said regional and international cooperation is inevitable for inclusive development as he urged wealthier nations to rev up overseas development assistance.
Mr Islam, a former UN economist, fired a broadside at donor nations, saying they have failed to materialise the target of handing out 0.7 per cent of their gross national income (GNI) as aid.
"Only a handful of smaller rich countries lived up to their promise," he told the session on poverty reduction through inclusive development.