UN to award Bangladesh
The United Nations is to acknowledge Bangladesh for its achievements in UN-set Millennium Development Goal (MDG) next week as the world leaders join the 65th general assembly session of the highest global forum in New York.
"The United Nations will acknowledge Bangladesh's performance in attaining MDG goals during the UN General Assembly," Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith yesterday told a review meeting on the government's "Ekti Bari, Ekti Khamar" project, also joined by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office.
Muhith said Bangladesh already achieved several targets of the eight-point MDG goals and was in track to achieve the others within the deadline of 2015.
But, he said, the country's achievements particularly in minimizing the child mortality under the MDG 4 targets earned high global appreciation while the UN decided to formally acknowledge the performance.
A UN spokesman in Dhaka supplemented the minister's comments saying the acknowledgement would be made in the form of an award during a three-day special summit on the MDGs to be kicked off in New York on September 20 as convened by the UN General Assembly.
"This (MDG) summit is expected to attract not only heads of state and government but dozens of representatives from civil society groups, foundations and the private sector," he quoted a UN statement issued from its New York headquarters as saying.
In a related development, the government in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is set to launch an updated report tomorrow on the country's MDG achievements.
Officials said the finance minister, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, representatives of the development partners including the UNDP country director would join the launching ceremony at a hotel here.
The MDGs reflect the actions and targets contained in the Millennium Declaration that was adopted by 189 nations during the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000.
The UN earlier appreciated Bangladesh's "noteworthy progress" in attaining MDGs saying Bangladesh had done remarkably and may well reach several of the MDG targets before the stipulated time of 2015.
Comments