“Citizen’s Agenda 2023: Towards a Different Bangladesh” offers a counter-narrative to Bangladesh’s conventional development discourse, one that is grounded in the experiences of marginalised and left behind communities of the country.
Whilst Bangladesh has achieved commendable success in terms of various socio-economic indicators, there are many challenges the country is having to face in moving forward in the twenty-first century. It needs to be noted and appreciated that non-state actors have played a critically important role in the impressive journey that Bangladesh has undertaken over the post-independence period.
Bangladesh is home to a large number of ethnic and religious minority groups. They add to the country’s cultural richness and tapestry, making significant contributions to the country’s socio-economic development. However, these communities are facing persistent economic and social deprivations, resulting in their further marginalisation. Their access to justice and public services is also limited.
In the World Economic Forum’s 2021 Global Gender Gap Report. Bangladesh’s score was 0.719, making it one of the top countries in the region in terms of success in closing the gender gap. The country was also ranked number seven in view of the political empowerment sub-component of the index. Indeed, Bangladesh holds the distinction of being the only country where more women have held the position of head of government than men, considering the past 50 years.
Geographical location at the approach of the Bay of Bengal, land structure involving low-lying terrains, great rivers, and the socioeconomic dynamics of coastal, riverine, and remote communities, have all combined to make Bangladesh the 7th most climate-vulnerable country in the world. The impacts are being manifested in various forms.
Bangladesh has made remarkable strides in terms of socio-economic advancement indicators, sustaining an average yearly GDP growth of close to 6 per cent since the early 1990s, accelerating the pace in recent times, and markedly reducing poverty incidence from nearly 60 per cent to about 18.7 per cent in 2022. However, significant challenges remain in tackling poverty and addressing the manifold vulnerabilities that inform the growth narrative.
Over the past five decades, Bangladesh has made significant progress in a number of important health sector areas. Maternal mortality rate has come down by almost two-thirds, and infant and child mortality rates were reduced by 44 per cent and 35 per cent, respectively; Bangladesh’s total fertility rate is currently approaching replacement level and is the lowest in South Asia (except for Sri Lanka).
Over the past decade, impressive success has been achieved in Bangladesh’s education in terms of enrolment and attainment of gender parity. The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) was 110.5 per cent and the Net Enrolment Rate (NER) was 97.6 per cent. However, the dropout rate is high, at about 14.0 per cent at the primary education level (Bangladesh Education Statistics 2022).
As Bangladesh moves forward, issues of energy transition are expected to assume heightened importance. Energy has emerged as a key factor for productivity enhancement, increasing competitive strength and raising quality of life and well-being of citizens.
Over the recent past years, the pace of urbanisation in Bangladesh has been growing at a very fast pace. This is manifested in the increasing number of urban settlements, both large and small, and the growing number of people residing in urban areas. At present, besides 12 city corporations and 327 municipalities, there are 570 urban centres in Bangladesh.
