The Bangladesh Private Sector Working Committee (BPSWC) has been formed in order to support the country’s private sector to work together with the government, the UN, as well as national and international development agencies.
The BPSWC will aid the country in achieving sustainable economic development and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
This committee was jointly announced on Sunday by Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) President Md Jashim Uddin, Bangladesh Employers’ Federation (BEF) President Ardashir Kabir, and United Nations Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Gwyn Lewis.
FBCCI President Jashim Uddin is the chairman and BEF President Ardashir Kabir co-chairman of the BPSWC, reads a press release.
The signing ceremony to establish the committee took place at the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in Bangladesh and was attended by representatives of the private sector, international organisations, and the government of Bangladesh.
The Country Director of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Tuomo Poutiainen; the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Bangladesh, Stefan Liller; the Additional Secretary, SDG Affairs, Prime Minister’s Office, Mohd Monirul Islam, the Adviser Safety Council, FBCCI, Brig Gen (retd) Abu Nayeem Md Shahidullah, the Adviser, Trade and Tariff Policy, FBCCI, Manzur Ahmed, and the Secretary General, BEF, Farooq Ahmed were present among others.
Welcoming the establishment of BPSWC, Gwyn Lewis highlighted the committee’s potential to further the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its plan to link its work with the 2022-2026 UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, signed by the UN and the government.
“When it comes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Bangladesh’s private sector has so much to gain, and so much to give,” she said.
“The UN welcomes the creation of a BPSWC, because private sector action on the SDGs is essential to realise the 2030 Agenda, and enable Bangladesh to achieve inclusive sustainable development that leaves no one behind,” Lewis added.
ILO Country Director for Bangladesh Tuomo Poutiainen and UNDP Resident Representative in Bangladesh Stefan Liller welcomed the establishment of the committee, adding that the UN agencies are looking forward to working together with the BPSWC for the sustainable development of the country and ensuring a smooth transition towards the LDC graduation.
Nineteen representatives of the Bangladeshi private sector companies have been selected to be members of the committee, while the UN resident coordinator or delegates of the UN agencies may participate in BPSWC meetings as guests and observers, or on the invitation of the committee’s chairman.
