UN Millennium Goals Bangladesh two years ahead Hostile climate seen as major threat to progress Staff Correspondent Bangladesh has already achieved most targets of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) two years before the 2015 deadline, but climate change remains a threat to the country, says a government report. Though developed nations didn’t provide Bangladesh with their pledged assistance, the country achieved many of the MDG targets, says the Planning Commission’s progress report 2012 on the MDGs. Dr Shamsul Alam, member of General Economics Division of the commission, presented the report at the National Economic Council auditorium in the capital yesterday. “The threat of climate change can diminish the hard-earned beneficial impacts of years of growth and development, not just for the people in impoverished settlements along the coastal belts and river banks, but for the entire nation,” he said in the presentation. Speaking as the chief guest at the function, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said big countries — both developing and developed — should check carbon emissions. Poverty should not exist anywhere in the world by 2030. And the world leaders should think how to keep food and energy prices stable to make it happen, said Muhith. In 2000, the heads of state and government of 189 countries set the MDG targets to reduce poverty and hunger across the globe by 2015. Bangladesh is one of the signatories to the MDG charter that has eight main goals with 60 indicators. And of those indicators, 34 have specific targets. Bangladesh has already met the target in nine indicators, including poverty reduction, attaining gender parity at primary and secondary level education, and reduction in the prevalence of malaria and mortality rate under the age of five, according to the report. It said Bangladesh is on track in 11 indicators and is expected to achieve the targets by 2015. Alam, however, said Bangladesh would need more time to achieve the target in case of some MDGs. He said too many children are still denied their right to primary education and environmental sustainability is under severe threat. According to the report, at the time of setting the MDG targets, the rich countries said they would provide 0.7 percent of their Gross National Income (GNI) as assistance to the least developed countries, but in reality they gave only 0.29 percent of the GNI. Foreign assistance to Bangladesh fell to 1.6 percent of the GDP in fiscal 2010-11 from 5.6 percent in 1990-91, showed the report. Planning Minister AK Khandker, Food Minister Abdur Razzaque and UN Resident Coordinator Neal Walker also spoke at the function. thedailystar.net/beta2/news/bangladesh-two-years-ahead/
Posted on: Mon, 08 Jul 2013 06:17:49 +0000
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