'Problems of poor groups must be tackled from multiple perspectives'

Problems of the country's poor groups should be looked at from multiple perspectives while addressing their disabilities and disadvantages, Prime Minister's International Affairs Adviser Dr Gowher Rizvi said yesterday.

“The poor are not only monetarily poor… They are poor in education; they are politically disempowered; they are socially non-populous,” he said at an international conference on human rights at a hotel in Dhaka.

“When we talk of this group, we need to look at what their disadvantages are,” he added.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) with support from the human rights programme of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) arranged the daylong conference, titled “Sustainable Development Goals and Human Rights: Role of NHRIs”.

Human rights defenders from different countries including Bangladesh, Nepal, Philippines and Malaysia attended the event divided into several sessions, said organisers.

Speaking as chief guest at the closing session, Dr Rizvi said Bangladesh made commendable progress in every economic indicator and also did better than its neighbouring countries. However, about 24 percent of the country's total population is still living below the poverty line and 10 percent of them are facing extreme poverty, he added.

Dr Rizvi stressed the need for conducting an extensive census on disadvantaged groups, which can be helpful in taking long-term national action plan.

Chairing the session, NHRC Chairman Kazi Reazul Haque hoped that the recommendations generated from the conference will help in future policymaking.

Addressing the opening session as chief guest, Law Minister Anisul Huq said climate change is impacting public health, food and water security and migration not only in Bangladesh, but the entire world.

“Climate change, if left unchecked, will roll back development gains we have made over the last decades and will make further gains impossible,” he said.

 “Conversely, action on climate change will drive sustainable development,” he added.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has appealed to developed countries, and world leaders for their support regarding climate change adaption and wider capacity-building at a high-level leaders' dialogue on “Implementation of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change”, Anisul Huq added.