Economic Reporter :
The speakers at a seminar urged the government to ensuring proper environment for creating private entrepreneurs to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.
They also requested for an adequate fund with low interest and necessary training for the private sector micro entrepreneurs.
The participants of the seminar also informed that although efforts from the public, private and non-government organizations (NGOs) helped develop sanitation scenario of the country significantly and brought a good number of people under safe water, but a large number of people is yet to come under the coverage of the same for lack of adequate private sector entrepreneur and also for shortage of their education and awareness.
At the Sustainable Development Summit on 25 September, 2015, UN Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which included a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change by 2030. SDG 6 is one of those 17 point targets of SDG.
WASH Alliance Bangladesh (WAB) in association with DORP, NGOs organized the national seminar on ‘Role of Private Entrepreneurs in Achieving SDG 6: Bangladesh Perspective’ on Thursday in the city.
M A Manna, MP, State Minister for the Ministry of Finance and Planning was present at the seminar as chief guest where Nurjahan Begum Mukta, MP, Sara Ahrari, Country Lead, WASH Alliance International the Netherlands, Azhar Ali Talukder, Chairman, DORP, Khan Abul Bashar, Deputy Director, Social Services Department, Dhaka were also present as special guest.
Besides, Alok Majumder, Country Coordinator, WAB, Mohammad Zobair Hasan, Research Chief, DORP, Dr Md Khairul Islam, Chairperson, BWA and country Director, WaterAid Bangladesh, ATM Shamsul Alsm, Director, CEGIS, Rokeya Ahmed, Water and Sanitation Specialist, World bank were also present at the seminar.
However, while presenting the keynote at the seminar, Alok Majumder said 61 percent of total population enjoys hygienic sanitation. Of the rest, 28 percent jointly uses semi-paka and 10 percent uses ordinary latrine which is a obstacle for achieving SDGs.
“Seven of the 17 SDGs including SDG 6 are directly linked with trade, business and investment. So, without real and effective collaboration between the government and the private sector, the goal cannot be achieved,” he said.
“Local people can eliminate local problems. So, crating and educating private sector entrepreneurs can overcome this obstacle,” he added.
“Integration among service providers is very much necessary to achieve SDG not to be a broken SDG,” Azhar Ali Talukder said.
Sara Ahrari in her speech said, ” SDG dose not mean sustainable infrastructure. It is also sustainable services.”
“If we want available safe water, business and entrepreneurs are the most important part to change the scenario,” she added.
“Inclusive loan to local entrepreneurs only can work for local community.”
However, describing their experience in doing business, a group of micro entrepreneurs of sanitation sector expressed their dissatisfaction over the financial institutions that most of them fail to comply with the requirements to receive loans as they mostly lacks co-lateral.
Besides, high lending rates also hindering their business prospects, they said.
“What ever financial support we got from the NGOs and from the government is inadequate. Although we are playing a vital role in changing local people’s behavior in achieving SDGs, we have long been neglected to have support from the financial institutions,” said Gulshan Ara, a micro entrepreneur for Laxmipur area.
Nurjahan Begum Mukta in her speech said that safe water and sanitation are the basic need of people. So, ensuring availability of those should be number one agenda of the government.
“Depending only on foreign aid would not be justified. We have to think to work with our own fund,” she added.
However, ensuring all possible support from the government to achieve SDG 6, the state minister M A Manna said, “We have achieved al lot in number which should be in terms of quality.”
“It is batter to travel together. So, public, private and dinners would be able to achieve the ultimate goal.”
The speakers at a seminar urged the government to ensuring proper environment for creating private entrepreneurs to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.
They also requested for an adequate fund with low interest and necessary training for the private sector micro entrepreneurs.
The participants of the seminar also informed that although efforts from the public, private and non-government organizations (NGOs) helped develop sanitation scenario of the country significantly and brought a good number of people under safe water, but a large number of people is yet to come under the coverage of the same for lack of adequate private sector entrepreneur and also for shortage of their education and awareness.
At the Sustainable Development Summit on 25 September, 2015, UN Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which included a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change by 2030. SDG 6 is one of those 17 point targets of SDG.
WASH Alliance Bangladesh (WAB) in association with DORP, NGOs organized the national seminar on ‘Role of Private Entrepreneurs in Achieving SDG 6: Bangladesh Perspective’ on Thursday in the city.
M A Manna, MP, State Minister for the Ministry of Finance and Planning was present at the seminar as chief guest where Nurjahan Begum Mukta, MP, Sara Ahrari, Country Lead, WASH Alliance International the Netherlands, Azhar Ali Talukder, Chairman, DORP, Khan Abul Bashar, Deputy Director, Social Services Department, Dhaka were also present as special guest.
Besides, Alok Majumder, Country Coordinator, WAB, Mohammad Zobair Hasan, Research Chief, DORP, Dr Md Khairul Islam, Chairperson, BWA and country Director, WaterAid Bangladesh, ATM Shamsul Alsm, Director, CEGIS, Rokeya Ahmed, Water and Sanitation Specialist, World bank were also present at the seminar.
However, while presenting the keynote at the seminar, Alok Majumder said 61 percent of total population enjoys hygienic sanitation. Of the rest, 28 percent jointly uses semi-paka and 10 percent uses ordinary latrine which is a obstacle for achieving SDGs.
“Seven of the 17 SDGs including SDG 6 are directly linked with trade, business and investment. So, without real and effective collaboration between the government and the private sector, the goal cannot be achieved,” he said.
“Local people can eliminate local problems. So, crating and educating private sector entrepreneurs can overcome this obstacle,” he added.
“Integration among service providers is very much necessary to achieve SDG not to be a broken SDG,” Azhar Ali Talukder said.
Sara Ahrari in her speech said, ” SDG dose not mean sustainable infrastructure. It is also sustainable services.”
“If we want available safe water, business and entrepreneurs are the most important part to change the scenario,” she added.
“Inclusive loan to local entrepreneurs only can work for local community.”
However, describing their experience in doing business, a group of micro entrepreneurs of sanitation sector expressed their dissatisfaction over the financial institutions that most of them fail to comply with the requirements to receive loans as they mostly lacks co-lateral.
Besides, high lending rates also hindering their business prospects, they said.
“What ever financial support we got from the NGOs and from the government is inadequate. Although we are playing a vital role in changing local people’s behavior in achieving SDGs, we have long been neglected to have support from the financial institutions,” said Gulshan Ara, a micro entrepreneur for Laxmipur area.
Nurjahan Begum Mukta in her speech said that safe water and sanitation are the basic need of people. So, ensuring availability of those should be number one agenda of the government.
“Depending only on foreign aid would not be justified. We have to think to work with our own fund,” she added.
However, ensuring all possible support from the government to achieve SDG 6, the state minister M A Manna said, “We have achieved al lot in number which should be in terms of quality.”
“It is batter to travel together. So, public, private and dinners would be able to achieve the ultimate goal.”
