Friday, 29 March, 2024, 2:22 PM
Advance Search
Home

Bangladesh, a top performer in sustainable development

Published : Wednesday, 16 June, 2021 at 12:00 AM  Count : 898

Bangladesh, a top performer in sustainable development

Bangladesh, a top performer in sustainable development

According to the latest Sustainable Development Report 2021, launched by the Sustainable Development Solution Network (SDSN) on last Tuesday - Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Cote d'Ivoire have progressed the most on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) index score - since the adoption of the 2030 global agenda in 2015.

Bangladesh has been ranked 109th with the overall score of 63.5 in the 2021 SDG index. Finland has been ranked first with 85.9 score. The 4 other countries in the top 5 positions are Sweden (85.6), Denmark (84.9), Germany (82.5) and Belgium (82.2). Additionally, In South Asia, Bhutan (70) is in 75th position, Maldives (69.3) in 79th, Sri Lanka (68.1) in 87th position, Nepal (66.5) in 96th, India (60.1) in 120th, Pakistan (57.7) in 129th, and Afghanistan (53.9) in 137th position.

The point, however, though the government has been commended internationally to be on track to ensure its SDG goals, but considerable challenges remain in the road ahead. Not to mention,   achieving the SDGs will critically depend on the availability of resources including external resources.

International community will have to extend their adequate and timely support to Bangladesh in trade and private sector development, identifying and removing barriers to investment, preventing tax avoidance and evasion. Moreover, another big challenge in achieving the SDGs is to address the relative lack of integration of these goals into the national planning process.

However, despite all the challenges, we appreciate the government for remaining consistent in the last six years in meeting its SDG targets. And surely it's no piece of cake to perform in the time of a global pandemic.

At the same time, we expect the government to assess the Covid-19 crisis which necessitates a new roadmap - highlighting on the importance of bringing a qualitative change in people's lives - in terms of good health, quality education, decent work, gender equality, sustainable cities and infrastructure and strong institutions.

Lest we forget, the pandemic has heightened the pre-existing fault-lines in Bangladesh with unprecedented differentiated impacts on lives and livelihoods. The fallouts are fragmenting intermediate classes, with emergence of many new poor, unemployed and working poor.

The question automatically arises, what kind of recovery method is required to achieve the SDGs in the time of an ongoing global pandemic?

This falls right on the shoulders of our government policy makers. We can think of two separate routs to recovery at the moment. Whether the government adopts active restraint measures or if it ordains active inaction, going with the regular course of business as usual.






Latest News
Most Read News
Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Online: 41053014; Advertisement: 41053012.
E-mail: info©dailyobserverbd.com, news©dailyobserverbd.com, advertisement©dailyobserverbd.com, For Online Edition: mailobserverbd©gmail.com
  [ABOUT US]     [CONTACT US]   [AD RATE]   Developed & Maintenance by i2soft