Statement by Hon. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the UN Summit on the Post-2015 Development Agenda

Statement by Hon. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the UN Summit on the Post-2015 Development Agenda

Mr. President 
Excellencies
Ladies and gentlemen

We join all the peoples in adopting a universal agenda for sustainable development. I commend all those who contributed to the people-centered Agenda.
In 2000, I joined the world leaders to adopt the Millennium Declaration. Over the past fifteen years, we mobilized our people and resources to realize the commitments that we made. We are happy that we attained almost all the MDG targets, including those related to poverty eradication, reduction of child mortality, communicable diseases. Realization of the MDGs has helped Bangladesh towards graduation as a Middle Income Country.

A key to our success was our political commitment and conducive policy environment that we created in Bangladesh. We mobilized our national resources, enhanced capabilities and empowered people. We aligned our development policies and strategies early. We engaged in partnership with a wide range of local and international actors. We also developed numerous innovation and development solutions across sectors. We ensured that inequality does not rise and our actions directly benefit people. We are pleased that some of our solutions and experience are now part of the global solutions.

Building on our experience, Bangladesh joined a long-drawn process to craft a transformative Agenda. Now, we all must pledge to full and effective realization of the Agenda 2030 and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.

To deliver on the SDGs, robust global cooperation is critical. In realizing the Agenda, we have to recognize the diverse national realities, capacities and levels of development. Respecting national policies and priorities will be equally important. We will have to address all forms of inequalities across the Agenda.

In this “collective journey”, the international community must deliver on the means of implementation for each Goal and across the Agenda. We need support on finance, technology, capacity building and debt. We must ensure that global trading and financial regime and institutions are fair and just.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Yesterday, we adopted Agenda 2030 with great joy. As part of our national preparation, Bangladesh is aligning its Seventh Five-Year Plan with the new global Agenda. We have decided on setting up new national mechanism to coordinate implementation in the government under overall supervision of my Office.

We all look forward to deliver with similar ambition, focus and commitment on a global deal on Climate Change this December in Paris. In Bangladesh, climate change puts our precious development gains at risk. Therefore, we must ensure that this Development Agenda and the new Climate deal deliver on protecting and harnessing the present and the future of humanity.

Let us all work together to deliver on our Agenda 2030. I thank you.

HE Sheikh Hasina (Honorable Prime Minister, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh)