Bangladesh would be a development miracle in near future: PM Sheikh Hasina

She said Bangladesh is a country of boundless potentials and her government is committed to ensure broad-based development of the people by ensuring effective use of resources.

In view of this, the present government is working with specific plans and programmes to realize sustainable development goals and we would be happy if the international community stands beside Bangladesh in her development pursuit, she said inaugurating the Bangladesh Development Forum (BDF)-2015 at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre here today.

"We will be happy if we get support from our development partners in our development pursuits. Our joint efforts are key to make this beautiful world free from poverty and hunger," the prime minister said.

The Prime Minister said Bangladesh is now pursuing an inclusive growth strategy to become a middle-income country by 2021 and a developed one by 2041. The country has everything to emerge as a vibrant economy, she said adding that "we have full confidence in the international community that they would continue to support our development."

Bangladesh Development Forum (BDF), a platform of the development partners, is being held since 2005 with an objective of sharing strategies, reform and priorities of the government with the development partners, civil society and private sector and discussing how to work together to realize the plan.

Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, president-designate of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Jin Liqun, vice president of Asian Development Bank Wencai Zhang, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan Kingo Toyoda addressed among others on the occasion.

Co-chairs of Local Consultative Group (LCG) Head of Mission of USAID Bangladesh Janina Jaruzelski and Senior Secretary of Economic Relations Division (ERD) Mohammad Mejbahuddin gave welcome addresses.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said she sincerely believes that BDF 2015 would be able to contribute to provide joint strategies and recommendations needed to make a poverty- and hunger-free prosperous Bangladesh.

She said since its emergence as an independent state through a protracted struggle under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh has been striving hard to ensure socio-economic growth at a sustainable level. "And the country has been successful in many areas of economic and social development despite different challenges and constraints," she said.

Pointing out the Vision 2021 of Bangladesh, the Prime Minister said at the heart of the Vision 2021 is to transform Bangladesh into a middle-income country. To achieve the goal the government recently adopted the Seventh Five Year Plan to ensure socio-economic development of the people through sustainable and inclusive growth.

Referring to the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the international community the Prime Minister said building on the success achieved in the millennium development goals (MDG), Bangladesh aims to realize the SDGs.

She hoped that the BDF will reflect on how to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by providing the government with prudent and effective recommendations.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stressed the need for support of the developed countries to realize the targets of the SDGs saying the developed countries should come forward to support us in realizing the targets of SDGs.

She also stressed that in the face of climate change and other development challenges, the international community needs to revisit the current global trade system to remove the constraints. "Trade should be considered as a means for poverty reduction and employment opportunities," she said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh has been able to manage successfully its macroeconomic stability for the last few years successively. "Policies and interventions adopted by the present government proved to be effective in accelerating growth, waning budget deficit, achieving high growth in exports and ensuring foreign currency reserve at a satisfactory level," she said.

The prime minister said implementation of SDGs will require more resources. In order to garner foreign direct investment (FDI), the government is currently working to establish 100 designated economic zones in different parts of the country. "The government has taken steps for improving physical infrastructures and communication facilities and ensuring FDI friendly policy approaches," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh's reliance on foreign assistance for implementing annual development programme (ADP) is gradually decreasing. "However, partnership of development partners is still very crucial for Bangladesh's future prosperity," she said.

The prime minister also focused on her government's successes in settlement of border dispute with neighbouring countries and said Bangladesh has given emphasis on regional cooperation and connectivity to prosper together.

"We are of the view that regional, sub regional and bilateral cooperation in the Asia-Pacific area are essential for balanced development and ensuring a win-win situation for all," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh has taken lead in building regional cooperation processes such as SAARC, BIMSTEC and BCIM-EC. We have also taken initiatives to develop infrastructures to enhance trade and people-to-people contacts among Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN).

"Our development partners can take a step to work on regional cooperation associations to collaborate in sectors like ICT, energy, power, agriculture, manufacturing trade and environment etc," she said.

The two-day BDF-2015 will mainly focus on goals and strategies of 7th Five Year Plan and in the meeting Bangladesh would seek cooperation from the development partners, civil society organizations, intelligentsia, private sector to implement the targets and programmes set out in the plan.