The Daily Star
23 March 2012
Poor aid flow remains a major hurdle in attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, said a major government report released yesterday.
Bangladesh required $78.2 billion between 2011 and 2015 for attaining all MDGs, according to the MDG Progress Report 2011. It said even though the country needs foreign assistance of $5 billion a year to achieve the targets, it is getting around $2 billion.
The report shows the official development assistance (ODA) inflow into Bangladesh has gone down significantly--from 5.6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 1990-91 to 2.2 percent in 2009-10.
"The ODA has declined drastically despite Bangladesh's success in some MDGs," Abdur Razzaque, food and disaster management minister, said at the report unwrapping programme.
Citing the example of the agriculture ministry, he said it got 18 percent ODA a few years ago, but now gets only four percent. He urged the development partners to review their aid strategy.
Environment and Forest Minister Hasan Mahmud said though Bangladesh was missing out on economic growth due to the impact of climate change, developed countries were not releasing their promised aid.
Planning Minister AK Khandker, Health Minister AFM Ruhal Haque, members of the Planning Commission, government officials, experts and representatives of development partners also addressed the programme held at the National Economic Council in Dhaka.
"It's unfortunate that the developed countries have so far failed to provide their promised ODA to us," said AK Khandker.
The developed countries promised to give 0.7 percent of their GDP to the least developed countries (LDCs) to help them achieve the MDGs but they were seriously lagging behind.
The planning minister urged the developed countries to come forward and cooperate with the LDCs in exploiting the potential of international trade and accomplish their obligations as signatories to the MDGs.
Stefan Priesner, UNDP country director, however, blamed Bangladesh's poor implementation capacity as a major bottleneck for not getting adequate ODA. Lengthy project approval process was another reason he identified for poor foreign assistance.
Despite all the challenges, the MDG progress report hailed Bangladesh for its notable achievements in poverty reduction, schooling, gender parity in education, and infant and maternal mortality rates.
Bangladesh has done remarkably well in containing the spread and fatality of malaria and tuberculosis, and in the area of reforestation and access to drinking water.
However, the country is struggling to address nutrition and to protect wetlands and bio-diversity, adds the report.
Population, Health and Development in Ghana. Attaining the Millenium Development Goals23 March 2012
Poor aid flow remains a major hurdle in attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, said a major government report released yesterday.
Bangladesh required $78.2 billion between 2011 and 2015 for attaining all MDGs, according to the MDG Progress Report 2011. It said even though the country needs foreign assistance of $5 billion a year to achieve the targets, it is getting around $2 billion.
The report shows the official development assistance (ODA) inflow into Bangladesh has gone down significantly--from 5.6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 1990-91 to 2.2 percent in 2009-10.
"The ODA has declined drastically despite Bangladesh's success in some MDGs," Abdur Razzaque, food and disaster management minister, said at the report unwrapping programme.
Citing the example of the agriculture ministry, he said it got 18 percent ODA a few years ago, but now gets only four percent. He urged the development partners to review their aid strategy.
Environment and Forest Minister Hasan Mahmud said though Bangladesh was missing out on economic growth due to the impact of climate change, developed countries were not releasing their promised aid.
Planning Minister AK Khandker, Health Minister AFM Ruhal Haque, members of the Planning Commission, government officials, experts and representatives of development partners also addressed the programme held at the National Economic Council in Dhaka.
"It's unfortunate that the developed countries have so far failed to provide their promised ODA to us," said AK Khandker.
The developed countries promised to give 0.7 percent of their GDP to the least developed countries (LDCs) to help them achieve the MDGs but they were seriously lagging behind.
The planning minister urged the developed countries to come forward and cooperate with the LDCs in exploiting the potential of international trade and accomplish their obligations as signatories to the MDGs.
Stefan Priesner, UNDP country director, however, blamed Bangladesh's poor implementation capacity as a major bottleneck for not getting adequate ODA. Lengthy project approval process was another reason he identified for poor foreign assistance.
Despite all the challenges, the MDG progress report hailed Bangladesh for its notable achievements in poverty reduction, schooling, gender parity in education, and infant and maternal mortality rates.
Bangladesh has done remarkably well in containing the spread and fatality of malaria and tuberculosis, and in the area of reforestation and access to drinking water.
However, the country is struggling to address nutrition and to protect wetlands and bio-diversity, adds the report.
The Millennium Development Goals Report 2011
Millennium Development Goals. Achievements and prospects of meeting the targets in Africa
Tourism and Millenium Development Goals: Tourism, Local Communities and Development
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