Bangladesh will be able to reach the expected 8 percent growth even before 2020 as it has put emphasis on implementing sustainable development agenda, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said on Wednesday.“No other countries of the world have stressed on SDGs implementation like Bangladesh does. And if the trend continues, the country will achieve 8 percent growth even prior to 2020,” commented Kamal at a discussion meeting held with the media on SDGs.Public sector think tank General Economics Division (GED) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) jointly organised the event at city’s NEC auditorium.The government seeks to transform the country into a knowledge-based society by 2030, where economic growth will play a key role in eradicating poverty, the planning minister said.“Bangladesh’s progress is a surprise for the rest of the world.The incumbent government wants to advance leaving no one behind as development can not be sustained with leaving people behind,” Kamal said.Speakers said good governance should be one more pillar along with three existing development sustainability pillars – social environmental and economic, and the media can play a vital role to ensure good governance and help establish accountability. They added that the media can create awareness among the stakeholders to create social demand for SDGs implementation through their frequent programmes and publications.The planning minister also thinks that good governance is the first requirement of development, adding: “It is subjective that the country is witnessing development but there is a lack of good governance.”Speaking on the occasion, Principal Secretary to the PMO Abul Kalam Azad said the country will require an integrity strategy to establish good governance in the society. He said Bangladesh has resource constraints in implementing SDGs but the country has to find out innovative financing. GED Member Dr Shamsul Alam said Bangladesh emphasised SDGs while setting up the priority areas for 7th five-year plan as an “early starter” country to implement agenda 2030. A total of 15 goals (88 percent of total goals) are found to be thematically fully aligned with the 7th plan document while only goal 16 and 17 are partially aligned, he said.He informed that the government is now devising action plan for SDGs implementation after completion of mapping of key lead, co-lead and associate ministries or divisions that will be responsible for implementing 169 SDGs targets.The biggest challenge the country is now facing is to fully utilise the opportunity of “Demographic Dividend” by creating adequate jobs for youth and develop their skills.Sudipto Mukerjee, Country Director, UNDP Bangladesh, expressed UNDP’s continued support in socio-economic development of Bangladesh that is inclusive and responsive to the need of the poor and the marginalised people.President of National Press Club Shafiqur Rahman said both the country’s economy and the media should run at their natural pace which will eventually help attain SDGs.He laid emphasis on data gap analysis in implementing the SDGs and urged government to remove the gap immediately.The Financial Express Editor AHM Moazzem Hossain said GDP growth is not all or enough, adding that it should be kept in mind that this growth should be inclusive and the poor and marginalised people should get benefit from it.
