United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2022-2026

The United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2022-2026 was launched on 21 November 2021 by the Economic Relations Division of the Bangladesh Ministry of Finance and the UN Country Team (UNCT).

The United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF/ “Cooperation Framework”) represents the UN development system’s collective response to support Bangladesh in overcoming the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and addressing key development priorities and challenges to the achievement of the objectives of the 8th Five Year Plan leading to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda, its SDGs, and the Perspective Plan for 2041. It transforms the way the United Nations development system in Bangladesh will undertake planning and programming cooperation and is the basis for all agency activities, joint and individual, within the country. Considering the impacts of COVID-19 and the potential change in the development finance landscape due to Bangladesh’s transition from the Least-Developed-Country (LDC) category in 2026, the UN has placed a particular emphasis on development effectiveness through different instruments in the Cooperation Framework.

Five interrelated, mutually reinforcing and multisectoral Strategic Priorities (SP) were identified for the 2022-2026 Cooperation Framework where the United Nations development system will concentrate its expertise to support transformational and accelerated progress in sustainable development and contribute to the achievement of the SDGs by 2030:

Strategic Priority 1: Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Development

Strategic Priority 2:  Equitable Human Development and Well Being

Strategic Priority 3:  Sustainable, Healthy and Resilient Environment

Strategic Priority 4:  Transformative, Participatory and Inclusive Governance

Strategic Priority 5:  Gender Equality and Eliminating Gender-Based Violence

Through these Strategic Priorities, the United Nations will support the Government and the people in Bangladesh to accelerate evidence-informed approaches to inclusive, equitable, and sustainable human, social, economic, and environmental development. The Cooperation Framework upholds the principles of human rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment, resilience, and accountability, ensuring that “no one is left behind”, the guiding principle for all UN development system programme cooperation.

The Honorable Minister of Finance A.H.M Mustafa Kamal, and Honorable Minister of Planning M.A. Mannan attended the launching and offered remarks. Opening statements were delivered by Ms. Fatima Yasmin, Secretary, ERD, Ministry of Finance, the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and Ms. Mia Seppo, the UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh.

“This is a very important Framework that will guide our cooperation with the UN on a broad range of areas from LDC graduation to pandemic recovery and achieving the SDGs.” Said Ms. Fatima Yasmin in her opening remarks.

Referring to the five Strategic Priorities of the Cooperation Framework, the UN Resident Coordinator said, “These Strategic Priorities identified are centred around the principles of universality, equality and equity in the protection and exercise of human rights. As Bangladesh strives to reduce inequality, the 8th Five-Year Plan recognizes that policy and programming must be better targeted at, and address the particular needs of, marginalized and vulnerable groups, many of which have been subjected to generational cycles of poverty and cultural, economic, political, and social exclusion. The United Nations and the Government of Bangladesh will today launch a Cooperation Framework, which is our agreement to reach those people.”

Addressing participants, the Minister of Finance said, “UN agencies, funds and programmes have been Bangladesh’s longstanding and trusted partners from the onset of our independence and significantly contributed to our overall development achievements.” He added “…this Cooperation Framework will strongly support the country’s development aspirations and its medium-term strategy to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals building on past successes and create a sustainable trajectory towards a developed economy status by 2041.”

The Minister of Planning said, “The Framework will support the Government on climate action – both mitigation and adaptation, inclusive and participatory governance, and it aims to ensure gender equality and strengthen the Government’s hand in eliminating the scourge of gender-based violence.”

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United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2022-2026