Nationwide celebrations of LDC graduation planned

The government will celebrate the achievement of substantial scores in two consecutive reviews by the United Nations Committee for Development Policy for graduating from the list of the least developed countries (LDCs).

The countrywide celebration will get more colours as it coincides with those of Bangabandhu's birth centenary and the 50th anniversary of the country's independence.

A two-day development fair will be organised at district and upazila levels on 27 and 28 March as part of the celebration.

The two-day long celebration programme titled "Golden Jubilee of Independence: From Least Developed Country to Developing Bangladesh" will include rallies, seminars, cultural events, quiz competitions and video shows on development activities and on the life of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The achievement will be celebrated nationally from Dhaka on 7 April, officials at the Economic Relations Division (ERD) told The Business Standard.

They said the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and the ERD will jointly arrange "Support to Sustainable Graduation Project", while the ERD will provide the technical and financial support for the celebration.

Earlier the PMO sent a letter to all ministries and divisions to arrange the celebration programme in open spaces at district and upazila levels complying with health and hygiene guidelines.

The letter said achieving the status of a developing country is an issue of pride and joy for Bangladesh. The prime minister has dedicated the achievement to the new generation of the country. That is why the achievement will be celebrated all over the country with the participation of the mass people.

The PMO has also instructed the authorities concerned to allocate Tk2 lakh for each district and Tk70,000 for each upazila to celebrate the event. The ERD will bear the expenses for the event.

Essay competitions will also be arranged in April after the opening of schools.

Farid Aziz, chief of the development effectiveness wing of the ERD, told The Business Standard, "The deputy commissioners and UNOs will be fully responsible to celebrate the event at the national level."

He also said, local administrations have been instructed to strictly maintain the health and hygiene regulations to avoid new infection of Covid-19 from the events.

However, due to coronavirus, the size of the event may be shortened at the end, ERD officials said. They say the incidents of coronavirus were low at the time the programme was announced.

They also said that if the coronavirus situation deteriorated, the matter would be left to the local authorities.

Bangladesh got listed on the LDC in 1975. Countries in the LDCs enjoy a variety of economic benefits from developed and developing countries. However, if their economies stand on a solid foundation, they have to come out of this list.

It is recommended that a country exit the LDC if it achieves the desired value in any two of the three indicators in two consecutive assessments.

In both the evaluations, Bangladesh has passed all three indices. At the end of the five-year transition period, the UN General Assembly will announce the final transition of Bangladesh in 2026.