Home ›› 22 Sep 2021 ›› Front
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has stressed the need for a global roadmap to ensure permanent recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
“We need to chart out a bold and ambitious global roadmap to put us back on the SDGs track, so that no one is left behind,” she said while addressing virtually the 9th Annual International Conference on Sustainable Development on Monday.
The Earth Institute, Columbia University, Global Masters of Development Practice and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network organised the conference.
Meanwhile, The UN-sponsored Sustainable Development Solutions Network also conferred the ‘SDG Progress Award’ on Sheikh Hasina on the day for Bangladesh’s steady course in responding to the universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure peace and prosperity for all.
Led by economist and development strategist Professor Jeffrey D Sachs, SDSN was set up in 2012 under the auspices of the UN secretary-general.
Sheikh Hasina, in her speech at the sustainable development conference, put forward a five-point proposal that is required to address properly the global Covid-19 pandemic to ensure achieving the SDGs.
“The success of SDGs now depends on sustainable recovery from the pandemic. The call of the hour, and with real urgency, is to ensure vaccines for everyone, everywhere,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina, in her second proposal, said, “We must close the huge resource gap in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.”
Thirdly, she said, “We are concerned about the rising trend in global poverty, for the first time since 1998, due to the impacts of the pandemic.”
In addition, recovery efforts need more focus on job creation, social protection, women empowerment, and science, technology, and innovation, she said.
The prime minister, in her fourth, proposal said, “We believe that Covid-19 recovery measures should complement climate actions to create stronger resilience against any future shock or calamities.”
Finally, there must be more focus on enhanced monitoring and support mechanism for SDGs implementation, she added.
The prime minister said that the United Nations should have enhanced coordination in this regard.
It is also imperative to ensure that there are adequate and timely support measures to withstand emergencies and shocks to avoid any slide back, she added.
The prime minister advocated for scaling up preparedness for pandemic and other emergencies should be handled with priority at every level.
Describing the 2030 Agenda as a global compact, she said, “This is our blueprint for a sustainable and inclusive global development. No single country can achieve this agenda alone. We need enhanced global collaboration and solidarity to advance this agenda.”
She said, “Since we have already entered the Decade of Delivery and Action of the Agenda, yet the goals seem far away.”
“Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, many countries were off-track to achieve their SDGs. The pandemic has pushed them further behind,” she said.
The Covid-19 pandemic has upset the world, she said adding that it has taken countless lives and upset livelihoods. Millions of people worldwide have been reduced to poverty and hunger, she added.
She continued that education is facing huge disruption, especially of children.
Noting that the climate vulnerable countries like Bangladesh are adversely affected by the pandemic as well as natural disasters, she said, “Our development gains and SDGs progress have been badly hit.”
Turning to her country’s preparation to this end, Hasina said that Bangladesh is the pioneer in climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts. “We have recently submitted an ambitious and updated NDC,” she added.
“We have adopted the ‘Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan’ focusing on green growth, resilient infrastructure and renewable energy.”
Referring to the Sustainable Development Report 2021 published by the University of Cambridge, Sheikh Hasina said that Bangladesh has improved the most on the SDG Index since 2015.
The prime minister told the conference that Bangladesh is now among the five fastest growing economies in the world, and ranked 41st in terms of GDP.
“Our achievements in MDGs were highly significant. We were recognised by the international community as a development miracle for our success, especially in poverty reduction, food security, gender parity in primary and secondary school, decreasing infant and maternal mortality rate, gender equality, etc.”
Over the past one decade, the country’s poverty rate came down from 31.5 per cent to 20.5 per cent, and the per capita income multiplied more than three-fold, she told the conference.
The infant mortality rate was reduced to 23.67 per 1,000; maternal mortality rate to 173 per 100 thousand live births; and longevity of life rose to 73 years, she said.
She said that they have set up more than 18,000 community clinics and health centers to cater healthcare services mainly to women and children.
She said that the UN recommended Bangladesh to graduate from the LDC category this year.
“Since 2015, we have been working hard to integrate Agenda 2030 into our national plans and policies putting ‘whole of government’ approach.”
A high-level national committee was formed for the implementation and monitoring of the SDGs, she said.
