Bangladesh needs to focus more on accelerating the work of achieving the millennium development goals (MDGs), as it will face a challenge to meet multiple needs in a growing economy in the coming years, said UNDP regional director Haoliang Xu Wednesday.
He also suggested Bangladesh to foster more inclusive, accountable and participatory pathways to development.
"The economy has been growing and the government's development budget has been increasing for the last few years. But the challenge is to meet multiple needs of the people," said the UNDP high official.
He was speaking at a press conference at a city hotel to share the views of his five-day visit in Bangladesh. UN resident coordinator in Bangladesh Neal Walker also spoke on the occasion.
Mr Xu said there is enormous need of power and infrastructure in Bangladesh. Scaling up the successes of MDGs' achievement will be a challenge in the development process. Bangladesh must set priorities as per the 7th 5-Year Plan for its development.
The country needs to have sector-wise investment budget in power, infrastructure, transportation, river ways, port facilities, health, education, human resource development and governance improvement programme, he further said.
Mr Xu also said the UN expects that Bangladesh will move towards middle-income status.
"As Bangladesh is still a least developed country, there are scopes of support until it becomes a middle-income country by 2021."
He said Bangladesh has been able to reduce urban poverty of 3.0 million slum dwellers in seven cities by 30 per cent following various interventions of the government.
"The country has made much headway in addressing urban poverty reduction. Multidimensional poverty in seven cities where UNDP has its interventions has fallen from 42 per cent to 29 per cent during the last four years," said the UNDP regional director.
Mr Xu informed that UNDP together with the government will take joint programmes for community mobilization, skills development, education activities, and improvement of public toilet facilities as part of an integrated approach to improve the slum dwellers' quality of life.
"I am encouraged that the government intends to respond to the needs of 9.0 million urban poor in the country and reduce urban poverty rate to below 10 per cent by 2021."
He suggested development of the areas from where the migrants come to the cities and improvement of income-generating activities there.
Mr Xu said Bangladesh is extremely vulnerable to the impact of climate change. But a commendable resilience to adapt with climate change has developed here.
"UNDP will continue to support the community to adapt with the impact of climate change."
He expressed his satisfaction at the development progress in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). He, however, suggested the government to implement the remaining provisions of the CHT Peace Accord to expedite peace and development in that area.
Neal Walker said the challenge for Bangladesh is to move forward with all its positive achievements. The country cannot achieve the environmental targets unless it addresses the issues like water pollution, chemical contamination and use of pesticides.
He said Bangladesh has reduced maternal mortality rate to 150 per 100,000 live birth, but it is still not acceptable, and it should be 20.
"Accelerate the work of achieving MDGs and do not stop as you have achieved target."
Bangladesh needs to fix what it wants in the next 15 years in the post-MDG perspective, he added.
Focus on achieving MDGs, foster participatory pathways to dev
FE Report | Published: May 22, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: May 21, 2014 23:27:57
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