UN to support Bangladesh in addressing key development priorities

UN Resident Coordinator Gwyn Lewis said that the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework represents the UN development systems' collective response to support Bangladesh in addressing key development priorities and challenges.

"The UN looks forward to working jointly with the International Chamber of Commerce Bangladesh (ICCB) in addressing various development issues," she said.

"Given the potential change in the development finance landscape due to Bangladesh's graduation from the least-developed country (LDC) category in 2026, the UN has placed particular emphasis on development effectiveness through different instruments in the Cooperation Framework, which will complement the public financial management efforts of different international financial institutions and multilateral development banks," she added.

Lewis made the comments in a meeting with ICCB President Mahbubur Rahman at the latter's secretariat in Dhaka on Sunday.

Lewis was briefed about the activities of the ICC headquarters and ICC Bangladesh and discussed the challenges Bangladesh would face after graduating from LDC status in 2026.

Rahman urged Lewis to extend all-out assistance and cooperation to overcome those challenges.

He said that the relationship between Bangladesh and the United Nations started during the initial stages of Bangladesh's liberation war in 1971.

"Bangladesh has set out an ambitious journey path to transform into a Smart Bangladesh, a high-income country by 2041, as delineated in its Perspective Plan (2021-2041). The plan for achieving the vision defines targets: achieving upper-middle income country status and eliminating extreme poverty by 2031, and eradicating poverty altogether while achieving high-income country status by 2041," said Rahman.

AK Azad and Naser Ezaz Bijoy, vice-presidents of ICCB, Abdul Hai Sarkar and Anwar-ul-Alam Chowdhury (Parvez), executive board members, Shahamin S Zaman, executive director for Asia Pacific and Oceania at UN Global Compact, Muhammad A (Rumee) Ali, chairman of ICCB Banking Commission, Ataur Rahman, secretary general, Md Ahsan Ullah, former executive director of Bangladesh Bank, Louise Barber, senior development coordinator officer and strategic planner of the UN, economist Md Mazedul Islam, development coordination officer, and Juliana Awo Quist Lawson, coordinator stakeholder engagements of UN Global Compact Network Bangladesh, were among those present.