Skilled manpower needed to achieve development goals

A four-day international summit that ended yesterday emphasised that Bangladesh should work to improve the number of skilled manpower and energy generation to achieve the sustainable development goals.

The country should also take steps to ensure better utilisation of resources and quick implementation of policies and improve infrastructure to achieve the goals, Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, chairman of Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation, said at the closing ceremony of the event.

Bangladesh should set target and indicators to attain the development goals more comprehensively, said Ahmad, who is also the convener of event: Bangladesh Summit on Sustainable Development 2014.

The government should monitor the progress of the nationally set goals, he said.

Eminence, a local non-profit organisation, organised the summit at Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban, Dhaka University.

Global Citizen's Forum on Sustainable Development hosted the programme. The forum is an open and inclusive forum for people to engage with and commit to the challenges of building a sustainable future for all.

The country has an adaptive population, inclusive democracy and hard-working people, according to Bangladesh Civil Society Declaration on SDGs 2014 made by the summit participants.

According to the declaration, the government should take steps to reduce poverty, bring transparency and accountability in governance, ensure healthy lives and inclusive and equitable quality education and access to energy and infrastructure. The declaration will be finalised soon to present locally and globally, according to the organisers.