As Bangladesh is preparing its post-2015 development goals to be placed before the United Nations, development practitioners said on Thursday ‘a final push’ was needed in sectors such as nutrition, environment and quality of education in the remaining thousand days of winding up Millennium Development Goals.
Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, who spearheads Bangladesh team in post-2015 development talks, said the national workshop on the draft agenda would possibly be held in the second week of May in Dhaka.
They expect to place Bangladesh’s position to the UN Secretariat before the summit in September.
Speaking at a discussion convened jointly by the UNDP and General Economics Division of the Planning Commission, Ahmad said in the remaining days of the MDGs emphasis should be given on nutrition, quality of education, and disadvantaged people.
He said more research should be done to understand what actually helped Bangladesh reduce poverty during the MDG period.
The discussion was organised as part of a global ‘MDG Momentum Campaign’ that began this week to mark thousand days left as per the MDG deadline.
The eight time-bound MDGs address poverty and hunger, education, gender equality, child mortality, maternal health, combating AIDS, malaria and other diseases, environmental sustainability and a global partnership for development.
The UN says Bangladesh’s poverty rate has almost been halved since 1992, coming down to 31.5 percent in 2010 from 56.6 percent and is well on the way to meet the MDG 1 target.
It says a ‘massive’ reduction in child mortality has also been one of Bangladesh’s ‘standout successes’.
The under-five mortality rate has plummeted to 50 per 1,000 live births in 2009 from 146 two decades ago.
Maternal deaths dropped sharply to 194 per 100,000 live births from 564 and the contraceptive prevalence rate in also on track to be met.
The global agency, however, says Bangladesh has struggled in the areas of environmental sustainability, nutrition and certain aspects of gender equality. To the UN, the remaining 1,000-day is an opportunity to amplify awareness of MDG achievements and the commitment to continue global progress, including in Bangladesh.
Speaking at the discussion UNDP’s South and West Asia Division Chief Elena Tischenko called upon countries to look beyond 2015.
She said the MDGs provided for the first time in history a global roadmap for the collective future of the world.
Dr Shamsul Alam, a Member of the Planning Commission, said despite ‘remarkable’ progress, Bangladesh was facing ‘daunting challenges’.
“We are aware that we need to reinforce our efforts,” he said adding that unemployment of youths, food insecurity and malnutrition remain as big challenges.
With more than 40 percent stunted rate, Bangladesh is one of the high malnutrition-burdened countries in the world, despite its economic growth.
Alam said the education sector was facing challenges to retain students up to Grade-V and improving the quality of education.
UNDP’s Country Director Pauline Tamesis stressed the need to look at the environmental goals set by the MDGs as she said Bangladesh ‘stagnated in the achievement of those goals.’
She pointed out gender inequalities, particularly violence against women, high dropout rate for girls in schools as major challenges.
“While poverty is declining fast, it is also a cause for concern that malnutrition is not,” she said.
Campaign for Popular Education‘s Executive Director Rasheda K. Chowdhury called upon the government to be more ambitious in looking forward to the next 1000 days of action.
She suggested incorporating sanitation in the post-2015 development agenda with option for safe drinking water.
Lawyer cum-economist Barrister Manzoor Hasan, however, urged all to consider Bangladesh’s current volatile political situation in setting targets for the next 1000 days.
“We have to be realistic and practical at our commitment,” he said.
Hasan said efforts should be made to tap full potentials of the existing programmes rather than opening up new windows.
According to the General Economic Division, the draft post-2015 development goals were devised after consultation with all stakeholders even at divisional level.
“It will be shared with the Secretaries on May 5,” said Eakub Ali, its joint chief.
He said they started the process of drafting Bangladesh’s position following Rio+20 meeting in June last year when it was agreed that a new set of targets will emerge for the next cycle after 2015.
There are six thematic areas and nine goals in the draft paper.
The areas are: population, gender mainstreaming, education and health; economic growth, poverty, hunger and employment; environment, climate change, green economy and disaster; governance and human rights; sustainable production and consumption patterns; and international cooperation for sustainable development.
They expect to place Bangladesh’s position to the UN Secretariat before the summit in September.
Speaking at a discussion convened jointly by the UNDP and General Economics Division of the Planning Commission, Ahmad said in the remaining days of the MDGs emphasis should be given on nutrition, quality of education, and disadvantaged people.
He said more research should be done to understand what actually helped Bangladesh reduce poverty during the MDG period.
The discussion was organised as part of a global ‘MDG Momentum Campaign’ that began this week to mark thousand days left as per the MDG deadline.
The eight time-bound MDGs address poverty and hunger, education, gender equality, child mortality, maternal health, combating AIDS, malaria and other diseases, environmental sustainability and a global partnership for development.
The UN says Bangladesh’s poverty rate has almost been halved since 1992, coming down to 31.5 percent in 2010 from 56.6 percent and is well on the way to meet the MDG 1 target.
It says a ‘massive’ reduction in child mortality has also been one of Bangladesh’s ‘standout successes’.
The under-five mortality rate has plummeted to 50 per 1,000 live births in 2009 from 146 two decades ago.
Maternal deaths dropped sharply to 194 per 100,000 live births from 564 and the contraceptive prevalence rate in also on track to be met.
The global agency, however, says Bangladesh has struggled in the areas of environmental sustainability, nutrition and certain aspects of gender equality. To the UN, the remaining 1,000-day is an opportunity to amplify awareness of MDG achievements and the commitment to continue global progress, including in Bangladesh.
Speaking at the discussion UNDP’s South and West Asia Division Chief Elena Tischenko called upon countries to look beyond 2015.
She said the MDGs provided for the first time in history a global roadmap for the collective future of the world.
Dr Shamsul Alam, a Member of the Planning Commission, said despite ‘remarkable’ progress, Bangladesh was facing ‘daunting challenges’.
“We are aware that we need to reinforce our efforts,” he said adding that unemployment of youths, food insecurity and malnutrition remain as big challenges.
With more than 40 percent stunted rate, Bangladesh is one of the high malnutrition-burdened countries in the world, despite its economic growth.
Alam said the education sector was facing challenges to retain students up to Grade-V and improving the quality of education.
UNDP’s Country Director Pauline Tamesis stressed the need to look at the environmental goals set by the MDGs as she said Bangladesh ‘stagnated in the achievement of those goals.’
She pointed out gender inequalities, particularly violence against women, high dropout rate for girls in schools as major challenges.
“While poverty is declining fast, it is also a cause for concern that malnutrition is not,” she said.
Campaign for Popular Education‘s Executive Director Rasheda K. Chowdhury called upon the government to be more ambitious in looking forward to the next 1000 days of action.
She suggested incorporating sanitation in the post-2015 development agenda with option for safe drinking water.
Lawyer cum-economist Barrister Manzoor Hasan, however, urged all to consider Bangladesh’s current volatile political situation in setting targets for the next 1000 days.
“We have to be realistic and practical at our commitment,” he said.
Hasan said efforts should be made to tap full potentials of the existing programmes rather than opening up new windows.
According to the General Economic Division, the draft post-2015 development goals were devised after consultation with all stakeholders even at divisional level.
“It will be shared with the Secretaries on May 5,” said Eakub Ali, its joint chief.
He said they started the process of drafting Bangladesh’s position following Rio+20 meeting in June last year when it was agreed that a new set of targets will emerge for the next cycle after 2015.
There are six thematic areas and nine goals in the draft paper.
The areas are: population, gender mainstreaming, education and health; economic growth, poverty, hunger and employment; environment, climate change, green economy and disaster; governance and human rights; sustainable production and consumption patterns; and international cooperation for sustainable development.
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