Bangladesh urges UN to help LDCs implement SDGs

Expressing concern over the decline of development related supports to least developed countries (LDCs), Bangladesh has urged UN Development System to provide more financial and technical assistance to the LDCs in implementing sustainable development goals (SDGs).

"The existing level of contributions for operational activities of the UN is far from adequate to support the developing countries in their development efforts. Prioritized allocations must be made to the LDCs to support them in implementing the SDGs," State Minister for Planning and Finance Muhammad Abdul Mannan said at the UN headquarters in New York on Thursday.

The state minister was speaking as a panelist at the "Integrated Implementation of the 2030 Agenda: the Role of the UNDS in LDCs, Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Countries Emerging From Conflict" in ECOSOC Segment on the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR), according to a message received here today.

Mannan pointed out that the development-related supports to LDCs have declined from 53 per cent in 2014 to 47 per cent in 2015.

"Therefore, more core resources for the UN Development system are needed so that it could support the LDCs in eradication of poverty and hunger, access to public health, education and other social services, combating climate change and building productive capacity," he said.

The state minister added that the UN system needs to support LDCs in data, statistics, knowledge platforms and support for the national implementation of the Goals through monitoring and reporting.

Citing Bangladesh`s commitment to implementing its national development agenda `Vision 2021` and its success in materializing MDGs, Mannan said that Bangladesh has integrated SDGs into its national development plans and would continue to move ahead in attaining the SDGs.

The Bangladesh state minister called upon the UN to integrate the specific priorities of the LDCs into the respective strategic plans, operational activities and programmes of the UNDS.

State ministers of Tanzania, Maldives and Paraguay also participated as panelists in this session while the interactive segment drew questions from many countries including the development partners.

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the UN is organizing this meeting to discuss the implementation of the QCPR resolution adopted last year by the UN General Assembly to give guidance to the UN Development System so that it can effectively support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

The QCPR resolution has requested the UN Development system to address the special challenges facing the LDCs.

Source : BSS