Two-day long Bangladesh Development Forum ended in the capital on Thursday with a call for effective partnership between the government and development partners for long term sustainable development of the country. During the forum, the government shared with the development partners and other major development actors the broader strategies of the upcoming 8th Five Year Plan.
The government ministries also presented their mid and long-term development plans in various priority areas like quality education, inclusive healthcare, innovative financing, rural transformation, sustainable urbanization, climate financing, private sector engagement and trade facilitation.
At the same time, the forum called for effective partnership and cooperation of the development partners to achieve the country’s long-term goals. This year’s Bangladesh Development Forum has come up with a joint communiquespelling out necessary joint steps in those priority areas.
Economic Relations Division of the Ministry of Finance of the Government of Bangladesh organized the event. Earlier, the two-day long forum was inaugurated by the honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, MPon Wednesday. Honorable Finance Minister A H M Mustafa Kamal, FCA, MP chaired the inaugural session. Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister said that her government wants to make the development schemes that it launched to be sustainable.
“We want to make the development works that we have launched to be sustainable-- and in this case, I think that our development partners will come forward and extend support to us,” she said. Finance Minister A H M Mustafa Kamal said “Development Partners should align their forthcoming assistance program with the long term plans of the government”.
BDF 2020 was held at a time when Bangladesh is at a defining juncture in its development journey. First, the nation is now taking preparation to celebrate the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 2020. Against this backdrop, BDF 2020 was dedicated to the Birth Centenary of the Father of the Nation.
Meanwhile, the present government came in office just one year ago for the third consecutive term with a renewed commitment to change the lives of 165 million people. The upcoming year 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the independence of Bangladesh. This would also mark the terminal year of the country’s seminal Vision 2021 while sights have been set at becoming a prosperous developed nation by 2041 to realize the dream of the Father of the Nation to build a Sonar
Bangla or Golden Bengal. The country is nearing the end of implementing its 7FYP while steps have been initiated for formulating the next8th Five Year Plan (8FYP).
The keynote session of the forum was devoted to ‘Effective Partnership for Implementing the 8th Five Year Plan Aiming towards Achieving SDGs’. It was followed by eight working sessions themed on Private Sector Engagement and Trade Facilitation, Partnership for Climate Change and its Financing, Innovative Financing for a Self-reliant Bangladesh, Rural Transformation: Creating Opportunities for All, Health Services: Inclusive Delivery Options, Energy Security for Sustainable Growth, Sustainable Cities: Services and Protection for the Vulnerable, Quality Education for All: Preparing for 4th Industrial Revolution.