‘Bangladesh ready to share best practices in population, development’

Bangladesh has said it is ready to use South-South Cooperation (SSC) to share its best practices in population and development to achieve the goals of the International Conference on Population and Development Program of Action (ICPD PoA).

"We are also keen on learning from the best practices of our partner countries and UN agencies, and taking advantage of the South-South Cooperation model to overcome challenges," State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Md Murad Hassan said.

He spoke on the sidelines at the 52nd session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) at the UN headquarters on Monday, at an event titled "South-South Cooperation for the Achievement of the ICPD PoA and the 2030 Agenda," reports UNB.

Murad spoke about the remarkable progress of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led government in achieving ICPD's goals and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), read a media statement of Bangladesh's Permanent Mission to the UN.

He highlighted Bangladesh's remarkable success in: reducing infant, children under five, and maternal mortality rates; increasing  life expectancy; increasing the use of contraceptives; poverty alleviation; developing primary and secondary education; and progressing in eliminating gender disparities.

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He underscored the improvement of primary healthcare service delivery systems and the establishment of about 14,000 community clinics.

State Minister Murad put forth a set of recommendations to mitigate the challenges of achieving the ICPD PoA and 2030 agendas. He suggested strengthening the SSC, and investing more in the idea of "Centres of Excellence" that focus on population and development.

He recommended increasing opportunities to: train and build the capacity of SSC focal persons in developing countries, develop a strategic framework to promote South-South and triangular cooperation to support innovation, build new partnerships, promote knowledge-sharing, and scale up proven best practices.

The other recommendation was to ensure an effective political commitment to national policy and the allocation of a budget for SSC.

Rohingya-related issues also came up. He urged the international community to come forward to find a sustainable resolution to the issues.

Secretary of Medical Education and Family Welfare Division GM Saleh Uddin made the country statement at the 52th session of CPD.

He said Bangladesh put youth and women development at the heart of the national development agenda, in order to realize Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's vision to transform Bangladesh into a middle-income country by 2021, and a developed country by 2041.

The theme of CPD's 52nd session is "Review and Appraisal of the Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and its Contribution to the Follow-Up and Review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development."

The Bangladesh delegation also attended the inauguration of the session marking the 25th anniversary of ICPD PoA.