UN Resident Coordinator welcomes the establishment of private sector sustainable development groups

Aimed to catalyze the implementation of the country's sustainable development goals (SDGs), the newly established BPSWC thematic groups will be working closely with the Government of Bangladesh, the UN, and national and international development organisations. 

The formal nominations of the groups’ memberships were adopted at the first working meeting of the committee, also held on 9 August.  

Some fifty heads of Bangladeshi private companies and development organisations, as well as representatives of different UN agencies attended the event. The event was opened by the President of the Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce & Industries (FBCCI) and the Chairman of BPSWC, Md. Jashim Uddin, the President of Bangladesh Employers’ Federation (BEF), Mr. Ardashir Kabir, who welcomed the establishment of the thematic groups and highlighted the importance of the private sector in inclusive sustainable development. 

The UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh, Gwyn Lewis also delivered remarks at the meeting, welcoming the initiative and encouraging dynamic and coordinated private sector engagement on achieving the SDGs in Bangladesh. 

“I warmly welcome this first full meeting of the Bangladesh Private Sector Working Committee, and its five new Thematic SDG Working Groups, designed to increase private sector engagement and to accelerate efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” said the UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh, Gwyn Lewis, in her opening remarks to the participants of the meeting. 

The UN Resident Coordinator emphasised the important role of the private sector in bringing inclusive sustainable development changes in the country, and said that “innovation, collaboration and financial support from private sector is essential to support the government in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals in Bangladesh by 2030”. 

The establishment of the groups is one of the first initiatives of the committee, which was launched  in May 2023 by FBCCI, BEF, and the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in Bangladesh. 

The BPSWC was established to support the country’s private sector to work together with the Government of Bangladesh, the UN, as well as national and international development organisations, for the advancement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. This committee is expected to focus on issues including job creation, youth employment and the fostering of a decent work environment, crucial challenges which need to be addressed in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.     

Also attending from the UN in Bangladesh, representing the UN’s 2022-26 UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework’s (UNSDCF) five Strategic Priority inter-agency Results Groups: 

• Gitanjali Singh, Resident Representative, UN Women Bangladesh 
• Tuomo Poutiainen, ILO Country Director Bangladesh 
• Van Nguyen, Deputy Resident Representative and Resident Representative ai, UNDP in Bangladesh  
• Emma Brigham, Deputy Representative and Country Representative ai, UNICEF Bangladesh 
• Mr Nur Khondaker, Assistant FAO Representative for Programme and FAO Representative ai, FAO Bangladesh
• Dr Vibhavendra S Raghuvanshi, Chief of Health, UNFPA Bangladesh