Bangladesh businesses constitute SDG Committees to accelerate Agenda 2030

With the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperations (UNSDCF) framework (2016-2030) halfway through its time frame, the BPSWC is expected to play a crucial role in accelerating the achievement of the SDGs. The Bangladesh SDG Financing Strategy underscores the urgent need to secure an additional US$ 928 billion to achieve SDGs by 2030, an estimated 42% of which needs to come from the private sector.

The Principal Coordinator for SDG Affairs of the Prime Minister’s Office, Md Akhter Hossain, commended the initiative, saying Bangladesh had adopted “a whole of society approach” to implementing the SDGs.

The BPSWC has constituted more than 60 of its members, drawn from the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) and the Bangladesh Employers Federation (BEF), into five working groups aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework’s five strategic priorities.

These are inclusive and sustainable economic development; equitable human development and wellbeing; sustainable, healthy, and resilient environment; transformative, participatory, and inclusive governance; and gender equality and ending gender-based violence.

ILO Country Director, Tuomo Poutiainen, said: “ILO is happy to have played a crucial role in helping conceptualize the need for and establishment of the BPSWC and would like to congratulate the FBCCI, BEF, and the UN System for committing time and energy to make this happen. We strongly believe that facilitating partnerships for the goals can leverage the expertise, resources, and efficiency of the private sector to deliver public services, achieve national goals, foster inclusive economic growth, and achieve the SDGs by 2030 in Bangladesh.”

The UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh, Gwyn Lewis, welcomed the formation of the Bangladesh Private Sector Working Committee’s five working groups, emphasizing the important role of the private sector in bringing about inclusive sustainable development through innovation, collaboration, and financial support.

 

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