Dhaka second to Colombo

Bangladesh is the second best performer in achieving the Saarc Development Goals (SDGs) and tops the list of Saarc nations in reducing fertility rate, according to a government report.

Among the members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, Sri Lanka has done the best in pursuing six of the goals, says the Bangladesh planning ministry report released yesterday.

The ministry evaluated the performance of Saarc countries in poverty alleviation, health, education and environment in 2011 compared to that in 1990.

At the 2004 Saarc summit, the member states set 22 goals in the four areas with 66 measurable indicators to fight poverty. The ministry, however, made the evaluation on eight of the goals.

Planning Commission Member Prof Shamsul Alam presented the summary report at the launching of Bangladesh Country Report 2013 at the National Economic Council auditorium in the capital.

Bangladesh has outperformed other Saarc countries in cutting down the overall fertility rate (TFR). Sri Lanka comes second followed by India, while Pakistan is the worst performer. TFR in Bangladesh came down to 2.6 percent in 2011 from 3.9 percent in 1990.

Sri Lanka, followed by Bangladesh, has performed the best in reducing infant and under-five mortality rate, increasing life expectancy at birth, access to improved sanitation and infant immunisation.

Life expectancy at birth is 75 years in Sri Lanka, 69 in Bangladesh and 65 in both India and Pakistan.

In terms of infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births), 11 children die in Sri Lanka, 37 in Bangladesh, 47 in India  and 59 Pakistan. The rate was 97 in Bangladesh in 1990.

When it comes to per capita income based on purchasing power parity, Bhutan has outshone others with per capita income of $5,162. It is followed by Sri Lanka ($4,929), India ($3,203), Pakistan ($2,424), Bangladesh ($1,569) and Nepal ($1106).

Bangladesh's per capita income more than doubled in 2011 from $741 in 1990, says the report.

Sri Lanka, followed by Nepal, is also the top performer in tackling maternal mortality.

In 2011, maternal mortality ratio (MMR) was 35 per one lakh live births in Sri Lanka, 170 in Nepal, 180 in Bhutan, 200 in India, 240 in Bangladesh and 260 in Pakistan.

Though Bangladesh stands fifth on the list, it made remarkable progress in cutting down MMR by more than threefold from 800 in 1990.

The report says Bangladesh has achieved significant progress towards eradicating poverty, largely due to robust economic growth. There has been a gradual transformation in the sectoral composition of the GDP, with manufacturing and services occupying increasingly greater share compared to agriculture.

Additional factors contributing to poverty reduction include an increased life expectancy, lower fertility rate, changes in population structure, increase in labour income, improved telecommunication connectivity, internal migration and safety net programme, it says.

Prof Shamsul said Bangladesh demonstrated its capacity in achieving the goal of poverty reduction within the target timeframe, but hunger and nutritional wellbeing remain as big challenges for the country.

As part of the holistic approach to eradicate poverty, the first and foremost issues that the country needs to seriously address are substantial development of physical infrastructures such as roads, transport, ports and energy, he said.

Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, Prime Minister's International Affairs Adviser Gowher Rizvi, State Minister for Finance and Planning MA Mannan, former adviser to a caretaker government Rasheda K Chowdhury, and Deputy Country Director of UNDP Nicholas Beresford also spoke.