মূল প্রতিবেদন ডাউনলোড করতে এইখানে ক্লিক করুন
On January 02, 2024, Bangladesh officially provided its expression of interest to prepare its third Voluntary National Review (VNR) for the upcoming High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) 2025. From the perspective of SDG implementation, this review seeks to strengthen government policies and institutions, mobilise multi-stakeholder support, and forge partnerships in the attainment of SDGs by 2030.
In this connection, Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh arranged a discussion titled “Citizen Participation in the VNR Preparation Process” on Sunday, 27 October 2024. Ms Lamiya Morshed, Principal Coordinator for SDG Affairs, Chief Adviser’s Office, graced the event as the Chief Guest and Ms Gwyn Lewis, UN Resident Coordinator, United Nations in Bangladesh as the special guest. Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and Convenor, Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh, chaired the discussion.
Dr Bhattacharya, in his opening remarks, emphasised that the discussion is being held within a unique political, social, and institutional context. He highlighted the importance of amplifying the voices of those who are often left behind and the representatives from non-government organisations, the private sector, as well as youth will convey their perspectives and ensure their voices are heard in broader arenas.
In his keynote presentation, Mr Towfiqul Islam Khan, Senior Research Fellow, CPD, stated that Citizen’s Platform in its group-specific analysis will focus on six Leave No One Behind (LNOB) groups: Children, Climate-vulnerable, Dalit and Adivasi, People with Disabilities, Women and Youth. He cited the example of Ireland’s open drafting approach in VNR 2023, highlighting the impact of non-society actors’ (NSAs) independent assessment in this process. Asserting his recommendations, Mr Khan added that the VNR process will truly achieve its purpose only by ensuring the neutral participation of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs). This exercise will provide an overview of the current state of development underscoring the achievements and challenges including the reforms. Moreover, it will serve as a learning document for policymakers and a guideline for the next course of action to make inclusive policies.
Executive Director of Manusher Jonno Foundation and core group member, Citizen’s Platform, Ms Shaheen Anam stressed that the platform’s objective is to give voice to the marginalised communities. “The focus is on identifying the challenges faced by LNOBs and advocating for necessary policy reforms. It is crucial to recognise that the aim is not to portray the LNOBs as victims but rather to integrate their contributions and mainstream them within society.”, she added.
Mr Md. Saidur Rahman, Director General of the NGO Affairs Bureau, stated that the bureau faces several limitations and challenges regarding registration, project approval, and implementation processes. He noted that while NGOs have made significant contributions to health, education, and employment generation, their efforts have not received adequate recognition. He expressed a willingness to integrate the achievements of NGOs with government agencies to accurately represent the current landscape and acknowledge the valuable contributions of the NGO sector.
Mr Zakir Hossain, Chief Executive, Nagorik Uddyog suggested incorporating the contributions of NGOs in the VNR. He also raised concerns regarding the impact of the current political and economic situation on the VNR.
Writer and Columnist Ms Ilira Dewan advocated that Chittagong Hill Tracks should be free of military rule and those who are responsible for human rights crisis, deforestation and destruction of water resources in the hill tracks should be brought under punishment.
Mr Monsur Ahmed Choudhury, Founder Trustee, Impact Foundation, Bangladesh & Expert on Human Rights for Persons with Disabilities, stated that every year NGOs submit their progress reports to the NGO bureau but there is no reflection in the national data. He emphasised that the previous government did not take any steps to include persons with disabilities in the process of achieving SDGs and the current government should look into it.
Mr Mohammad Fahim Afsan Chowdhury, Deputy Chief, General Economic Division (GED) highlighted that there is a lack of interconnection and coherence between the government and non-government development agencies. The private and NGO sectors were absent in the SDG goal-based mapping for the previous VNR submission of Bangladesh but they are being incorporated. There is no integrated tracker for SDGs which can correlate the action with the results, which is one of the biggest challenges moving forward.
Ms Rasheda K Chowdhury, Executive Director, CAMPE and core group member, Citizen’s Platform, highlighted that in the new context, the VNR preparation process is expected to be participatory and the report to reflect the concerns of NGOs and CSOs. She stressed that as there is a lack of government data, using data from credible non-government data sources can be a way out.
Mr Md. Alamgir Hossen, Focal Point of SDG Cell, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) has observed a mistrust of data, which may be due to the lack of a participatory process or whole-of-society approach in generating data. “There is a need to increase investment in data as well as increase data literacy”, he added. He stressed that the BBS data is publicly available and any suggestions or recommendations regarding data quality will be duly acknowledged.
Dr Mushtaque Raza Chowdhury, core group member, Citizen’s Platform and Former Vice-Chairperson, BRAC highlighted the importance of goal 3- good health and well-being as many other goals are affected by the achievements of this goal. He also recommended that the VNR preparation process should undergo a thorough objective analysis to identify the factors that contributed to the failure to achieve the goals.
Advocate Salma Ali, President, Bangladesh National Woman Lawyers’ Association (BNWLA) emphasised the need for victim-centric support services for victims of gender-based violence. She urged that the proposed legislation be finalised and that existing laws be effectively implemented to ensure adequate protection and assistance for victims.
Professor Mustafizur Rahman, Distinguished Fellow, CPD and core group member, Citizen’s Platform, spoke on goal 8- decent work and economic growth which was one of the demands of the student-citizen uprising. He also expressed concern regarding international cooperation that marks goal 17 – partnerships for the goals. The focus should be on fostering international cooperation in business, trade and finance is essential in achieving the goals.
Dr Mohammad Abdul Latif, Director General, Governance Innovation Unit (GIU), spoke about the lack of correlation between GOs and NGOs and the public and private sectors in achieving the development goals. He also emphasised that NGOs work at the grassroots so, they can be impactful partners to localise the goals.
Ms Gwyn Lewis, UN Resident Coordinator, United Nations in Bangladesh commented the key to strong VNR is inclusivity, participation and transparency. It is important to meet the data gap through the VNR process as it is the moment for prioritisation. Gathering data from civil society will reflect the needs of the marginalised communities. After consolidating the data, thinking through the ways to advance more quickly, will be the key. Reflecting the marginal voices in national policies is necessary. She added that integrated interministerial conversation is needed to form meaningful policies and assess underdeveloped areas.
The chief guest, Ms Lamiya Morshed thanked the Citizen’s Platform for organising the discussion. She asserted that the Interim Government of Bangladesh will implement and build on initiatives aimed at fostering more equitable development and ensuring a nation free of discrimination, where no one will be left behind. The review and submission of the progress towards the SDGs should have a “national” report that captures both government and non-state actors’ contributions and both sides’ perspectives on progress, challenges and future pathways of the country. Indeed, involving both government and non-government actors’ perspectives can truly uphold the commitment to “the whole of society” approach.
Dr Debapriya, in his concluding remarks, emphasised that the national review should not turn into a government review. He asserted that disaggregated data should reflect the realities of LNOBs. This review is an opportunity to address the data gaps and to conversate with international development partners. VNR is the threshold for GO-NGO partnership in establishing an inclusive and sustainable economy, society and nation.
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