Bangladesh can be a development miracle: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said the hardworking and resilient people of Bangladesh would be "development miracle" in near future if they get committed support from development partners.

She said Bangladesh is a country of boundless potentials and her government is committed to ensure broad-based development of the people by ensuring effective use of resources.

In view of this, the present government is working with specific plans and programmes to realize sustainable development goals and we would be happy if the international community stands beside Bangladesh in her development pursuit, she said inaugurating the Bangladesh Development Forum (BDF)-2015 at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre here today.

"We will be happy if we get support from our development partners in our development pursuits. Our joint efforts are key to make this beautiful world free from poverty and hunger," the prime minister said.

The Prime Minister said Bangladesh is now pursuing an inclusive growth strategy to become a middle-income country by 2021 and a developed one by 2041. The country has everything to emerge as a vibrant economy, she said adding that "we have full confidence in the international community that they would continue to support our development."

Bangladesh Development Forum (BDF), a platform of the development partners, is being held since 2005 with an objective of sharing strategies, reform and priorities of the government with the development partners, civil society and private sector and discussing how to work together to realize the plan.

Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, president-designate of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Jin Liqun, vice president of Asian Development Bank Wencai Zhang, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan Kingo Toyoda addressed among others on the occasion.

Co-chairs of Local Consultative Group (LCG) Head of Mission of USAID Bangladesh Janina Jaruzelski and Senior Secretary of Economic Relations Division (ERD) Mohammad Mejbahuddin gave welcome addresses.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said she sincerely believes that BDF 2015 would be able to contribute to provide joint strategies and recommendations needed to make a poverty- and hunger-free prosperous Bangladesh.

She said since its emergence as an independent state through a protracted struggle under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh has been striving hard to ensure socio-economic growth at a sustainable level. "And the country has been successful in many areas of economic and social development despite different challenges and constraints," she said.