Bangladesh moves forward with proper implementation of sustainable development goals (SDGs), said Planning Minister MA Mannan projecting the success of digital monitoring system to the United Nations.

The planning minster made the remark while co-chaired a session on “Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation (GPEDC)” in Unite Nations in New York. Parliament Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury also took part in the senior level meeting who was in the United States for attending a High-Level Political Forum (HLPF).

Bangladesh launched a technology-based platform in September 2017 to monitor the national programmes integrated with Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) which is considered as first of its kind in the world.

Planning Minister said the current economic outlook suggests that the country is progressing well towards achieving SDGs.

“We have been able to reduce the poverty level to 21.8 percent, which was 40 percent in 2005. Creating jobs, managing inequalities, ensuring gender parity and inclusiveness, and forging effective partnership with development actors are our strategic approaches for sustaining the growth momentum,” said the planning minister.

Referring to the Second High-Level Meeting of GPEDC held in Nairobi, Kenya in 2016, the Minister said, “Since Nairobi, Bangladesh as a co-chair has tried its best to make GPEDC an effective platform to realize its mandate. We were part of several dedicated initiatives within GPEDC”.

He expressed Bangladesh’s continued commitment to GPEDC and its mandate towards attaining SDGs and urged the member states and the stakeholders to support this unique platform.

The speakers opined that collective efforts and active regional and global partnerships are needed to realize the mandate of GPEDC and SDGs. They hoped that the organization will galvanize governments, civil society and other actors into the ‘gear change’ needed to accelerate SDG implementation at the country level and globally.