Workshop on SDGs held

A three-day inter-ministerial consultation workshop on integration of the sustainable development goals into the seventh five-year plan concluded in Cox's Bazar yesterday.

The General Economics Division in collaboration with the Support to Sustainable and Inclusive Planning project organised the programme, attended by 70 participants from 35 ministries, divisions and the United Nations Development Programme, according to a statement from the UNDP.

Speaking on the concluding session, GED Member Prof Shamsul Alam said the ultimate goal of the SDGs and the seventh five-year plan is to eliminate extreme poverty.

He hoped the workshop would enhance the knowledge of government officials for better monitoring of the SDGs in the coming days.

The main purpose of the workshop was to compare the development targets of the five-year plan with the indicators and targets of the SDGs, identify gaps and recommend strategies in aligning the national plan with the 2030 Global Agenda.

The UNDP-supported SSIP project has extensively contributed to the GED's efforts in preparing the plan and the country's proposal on the SDGs to the UN. It is also committed to providing support to develop the national rollout plan for the SDGs in coordination with the government.

Pauline Tamesis, country director of the UNDP; Prof Wahiduddin Mahmud, chairman of the panel of economists for the seventh five-year plan; Mohammad Mejbahuddin, senior secretary of the Economic Relations Division; Binayak Sen, research director of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, and Naquib Bin Mahbub, chief of the GED, also spoke in different sessions.