Bangladesh and UN agreed to work closely to achieve the SDGs

The Government of Bangladesh and the United Nations Country Team conducted a comprehensive review of their collaborative efforts to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This discussion took place on 11 June at the second Joint Steering Committee meeting of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2022-26, co-chaired by the Secretary of the Economic Relations Division of the Ministry of Finance and the UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh.

The UNSDCF 2022-26, co-signed by the Government of Bangladesh and all UN agencies, funds and programmes working in Bangladesh, is the UN’s five-year plan to accelerate progress towards the sustainable development goals in line with the Country’s 8th Five-Year Plan.

The Joint Steering Committee meeting, attended by 22 ministries of the Government of Bangladesh and 17 UN agencies, funds and programmes, discussed how in 2022, UN agencies, funds, and programmes provided over USD 241.2 million in assistance to support inclusive and sustainable economic development, equitable human development and well-being, a sustainable, healthy, and resilient environment, transformative, participatory and inclusive governance and gender equality and  efforts to eliminate gender-based violence.

During the meeting, the Secretary of the Economic Relations Division, Ms. Sharifa Khan, emphasized the significant role played by the partnership between the United Nations and the Government of Bangladesh in advancing the nation's development. As Bangladesh prepares to graduate from its status as a Least Developed Country in 2026, Ms. Khan expressed confidence that the collaboration would gain further momentum in the coming year. 

In her remarks, the UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh, Ms. Gwyn Lewis, said that “The United Nations in Bangladesh stands ready to help the Government and the people of Bangladesh navigate the path towards inclusive sustainable development which leaves no one behind. We need to work together to not only advance development, but to accelerate our joint efforts to reach our shared goals by 2030.”

Further information:

The UNSDCF 2022-26 was launched by the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office and the Economic Relations Division of the Bangladesh Ministry of Finance on 21 November 2021.

The framework represents the UN 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 country’s 8th Five-Year Plan leading to the achievement of its sustainable development goals and the Perspective Plan for 2041.

The implementation of the UNSDCF is coordinated through the Joint Steering Committee, co-chaired by the Secretary of the Economic Relations Division of the Bangladesh Ministry of Finance and the UN Resident Coordinator. This committee periodically reviews progress and makes necessary adjustments to achieve the targets set within the framework. The first Joint Steering Committee meeting to review progress took place in November 2022, and another meeting is expected to be held later in 2023.

The UN in Bangladesh’s results report for 2022, published in April 2023, contains results of work towards these priorities in 2022.