ACCORDING to the 7th MDG Bangladesh Progress Report, as quoted in the press, the country made progress in achieving some indicators of millennium development goals. The said report also mentioned that in other important targets including ensuring employment for all, increasing share of women in wage employment, adult literacy and completion of primary schooling, Bangladesh lagged behind. However, in the assessment of Planning Ministry, it emerged that Bangladesh, still considered as a Least Developed Nation, has met some other Millennium Development Goals. What has most economists stumped is that Bangladesh will certainly not attain the targets by 2015. And there has been lack of promised international support for achieving the MDGs.
The MDGs, adopted by the United Nations, set 8 goals under which there are 21 targets and 60 indicators with set targets to measure the progress of MDGs. The report stated that development partners did not come up with committed assistance for implementing the MDGs which was a big challenge for the country. According to the report, out of 8 MDGs, Bangladesh is, in general, on track in achieving partial success in areas like eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equity and empowering women, reducing child mortality and improving maternal health. The country, however, lagged behind in achieving three goals – combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability and developing a global partnership for development – which needed more attention, according to the UN report. According to the report, the current employment rate for the country’s 15+ years population is 59.3 percent. The country will not be able to achieve the target of ensuring employment for all by 2015, and the percentage of women in wage employment needs to be raised to 50 percent by 2015 which is now only 19.87 percent.
Under these circumstances, developed nations must come forward with more private investment in Bangladesh which would prove more effective in helping Bangladesh in achieving its MDGs. Seemingly, Bangladesh is on the right track in achieving the goals set, but lack of adequate infrastructure and assistance from developed countries poses a big hindrance to bridge the gap of unmet goals. It is high time the government, experts and industry insiders come together to ensure a better standing of Bangladesh in the global context by helping to lead the country in the right and effective direction. Ultimately such goals must be achieved by our own efforts.
At the top of it, to attain a sustainable development level, there must be strong and honest political leadership with the will to deliver good governance free from corruption and vices of over-politicization of the affairs of the state down to the ground level.
