Delivering SDGs in Bangladesh: Role of Non-State Actors

Bangladesh has stepped into the fifth year of the journey of delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is high time to assess the progress made so far in the last four years with a particular focus on the role and contribution of the non-state actors in realising this ambitious development agenda.

The non-state actors, such as civil society organisations, private sector, media and development partners, have been contributing in various capacities and extents in Bangladesh’s development journey. There is room for improving cooperation among the government and non-government initiatives if the country is to realise the SDGs by 2030 through inclusive and participatory process.

These views emerged at a dialogue on Delivering SDGs in Bangladesh: Role of Non-State Actors, organised by Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), in association with The Asia Foundation – Bangladesh, Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) on 20 February 2020 in Dhaka.

As Bangladesh is going to submit the second Voluntary National Review (VNR) at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) 2020, two research publications have been released at this event as an input to the government’s VNR process to recognise the contribution of non-state actors’ contribution in achieving the SDGs. These two publications provide progress status with sets of recommendations on the areas of concerning SDGs, whether Bangladesh is on track, and required policy measures for a smooth SDG journey.