SDGs to be achieved with domestic resources: Planning minister

Planning Minister MA Mannan on Tuesday said that the government is giving emphasis on domestic financing for economic development, rather than on foreign donations.

He said, attempts will be made to increase revenue earnings to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the government’s own financing. However, at the same time foreign investments will also be encouraged, he added.

MA Mannan was speaking at a press conference, organized on Tuesday so as to share his experience at the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC) conference, held at the UN headquarters. 

Planning Division secretary Md Nurul Amin, member of General Economics Division (GED) Dr Shamsul Alam, and Economic Relations Division (ERD) secretary Monowar Ahmed spoke at the press conference, held at the conference room of National Economic Council (NEC) in the capital.

The Planning minister said, achieving the SDGs would not be difficult, as revenue collection has been on the rise with the GDP showing an upward trend, asthe national budget makes room for the different aspects of SDGs, achieving SDGs before 2030 would now become easier. 2030 is the official deadline set by the UN for achieving SDGs.

MA Mannan said, support from all quartershas been sought at the conference in order to solve the Rohingya problem. Hungary,on its part, has assured its assistance for managingwater resources in Bangladesh, the minister informed.

Regarding climate change, the planning minister said thatthe government, on its own initiative has formed a trust fund to tackle the issue.

MA Mannan said that he tookpart at a function of expatriate Bangladeshis in New York, USA,invitingthem to invest in Bangladesh.

Dr Shamsul Alamsaid, to get a realistic picture of poverty in the country multidimensional poverty will be measured. Income will not be considered as the sole indicator of poverty anymore, he said.

He said,at the UN conference global financing for achieving the SDGs has been identified as the biggest challenge, while adding that public-private partnerships (PPP) and increasing foreign direct investment (FDI) are necessary to ensure SDGs and combat environmental risks.

Statistics and Information Management Department secretary Sourendra Nath Chakraborty, IMED secretary Abul Mansur Md Faizullah, and Planning Commission member Shamima Nargis were also present at the press conference.