Minister hopes to attain SDGs

Bangladesh will top the list of countries to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, planning minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said yesterday.

Kamal was addressing a discussion on ‘Data for the SDGs’ jointly organised by the UN Population Fund and The Daily Star at the Daily Star Bhaban in Dhaka. “We are already in the preparation course. We will be number one in implementing the SDGs in the world,” he said. 
Among others, MP Sanjida Khanom, advocate Ummeh Kulsum Smriti, Nurjahan Begum, member of the General Economic Division of the Planning Commission, Prof. Shamsul Alam, country director of UNFPA Argentina, Matavel Piccin, country director of Population Council, Dr Ubaidur Rob, and research director of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, Dr Rushdina Islam Rahman, addressed the programme.
The planning minister said poverty in Bangladesh came down to 12.9 per cent this year from 25.1 per cent in 2005. It will go down to 3.5 per cent by 2030, he claimed. “We want to see all people of the country eating good food, and having access to healthcare and education…We want to put them in a comfort zone,” he added.
Around 5.6 million people of the country are still marginalised, he said. “If we leave them behind and don’t bring them to the mainstream, our economic growth will be subject to criticism,” he added.
Kamal pointed out that Bangladesh was one of the best performers in achieving the Millennium Development Goals during 2000–2015. With the progress made in the last 15 years, the speed of the country’s development has got new momentum since the declaration of the SDGs in late 2015 by the UN, he added.
Piccin said the key principle of the SDGs is to leave behind none. “For that to happen, data will play a critical role in understanding who actually are now left behind and what the crucial areas that need special attention are,” she added.

Minister hopes to attain SDGs

Bangladesh will top the list of countries to achieve the UNs Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, planning minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said yesterday. Kamal was addressing a discussion on Data for the SDGs jointly organised by the UN Population Fund and The Daily Star at the Daily Star Bhaban in Dhaka. We are already in the preparation course. We will be number one in implementing the SDGs in the world, he said. Among others, MP Sanjida Khanom, advocate Ummeh Kulsum Smriti, Nurjahan Begum, member of the General Economic Division of the Planning Commission, Prof. Shamsul Alam, country director of UNFPA Argentina, Matavel Piccin, country director of Population Council, Dr Ubaidur Rob, and research director of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, Dr Rushdina Islam Rahman, addressed the programme. The planning minister said poverty in Bangladesh came down to 12.9 per cent this year from 25.1 per cent in 2005. It will go down to 3.5 per cent by 2030, he claimed. We want to see all people of the country eating good food, and having access to healthcare and educationWe want to put them in a comfort zone, he added. Around 5.6 million people of the country are still marginalised, he said. If we leave them behind and dont bring them to the mainstream, our economic growth will be subject to criticism, he added. Kamal pointed out that Bangladesh was one of the best performers in achieving the Millennium Development Goals during 20002015. With the progress made in the last 15 years, the speed of the countrys development has got new momentum since the declaration of the SDGs in late 2015 by the UN, he added. Piccin said the key principle of the SDGs is to leave behind none. For that to happen, data will play a critical role in understanding who actually are now left behind and what the crucial areas that need special attention are, she added.