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Contacts
Professor Dr. Shamsul Alam
Member
General Economics Division (GED)
Planning Commission, Government of Bangladesh
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Phone: +88-02-9180730
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Md. Mafidul Islam
Joint Chief
International Economics Wing
General Economics Division (GED)
Planning Commission, Government of Bangladesh
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Phone: +88-02-9180753
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The participants in the stakeholder consultations for revision and modification of the new 2013 NSDS reviewed the composition of SDMC and suggested two modifications. First, the council should include secretaries of relevant ministries. Second, as preparation of national development plans and strategies and its monitoring fall under the purview of Ministry of Planning, the Minister of Planning will be the chairperson of the Council. In this context, a secretariat will be established in General Economics Division, Planning Commission and Member, General Economics Division, Planning Commission will act as Member Secretary of SDMC. The suggested composition of the National Sustainable Development Monitoring Council is provided on p.137 of the 2013 NSDS (available in the resources section).
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Composition and Membership
Bangladesh’s government established the Council and its supporting institutional structure in 2009. The institutional structure was proposed in the NSDS, 2008.
However this architecture is currently being reformed to ensure its coordination with the new 2010-2021 National Sustainable Development Strategy
The new Sustainable Development Monitoring Council (SDMC) is to be chaired by the Minister for Planning. The Council will include representatives from ‘concerned ministry/department/agencies’, training institutes and research organisations, NGOs and civil society, academic and expert, professionals and specialists, and the wider private sector.
The Government is also establishing a Sustainable Development Board with proposed members from representatives of related ministries and government agencies, and will be chaired by the Cabinet Secretary.
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Overall role of the SDMC
The role of the Sustainable Development Monitoring Council is to ensure sustainable development of the country with special focus on effective implementation and monitoring progress of different elements of NSDS. The Council will also review the obligations and commitments under the different Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) including UN Commission on Sustainable Development (UNCSD). The Council will meet at least three times a year. At the outset, the council will give thrust on the following five Strategic Priority Areas as identified as part of sustainable development of Bangladesh.
Sustained Economic Growth:
Implementation of different strategies suggested under sustained economic growth will ensure sustained and accelerated growth without compromising environment sustainability and enhancing social equity. It will also facilitate poverty reduction through employment generation, bring effective utilization of energy and mineral resource, greening manufacturing industries, promotion of export, and enhance remittance through creating job in international market.
Development of Priority Sectors:
Provide a direction to search for possible ways and means in the priority sectors as they will remain the engine for overall economic growth and support development.
Urban Environment:
Provide direction for implementation of different strategies to improve urban environment.
Social Security and Protection:
Implementation of different strategies to ensure the rights of the citizens, quality health and sanitation services, minimum shelters for all including access to services and utilities, quality education, creating social safety net, women’s advancement and rights, a n d implementation of rights for children and special services for children, aged and people requiring special assistance.
Environment and Natural Resource Management:
Provide guidance to ensure environmental protection for humans, ecosystems and resources which promotes conservation, augmentation and efficient utilization of the natural resources.
To perform the above responsibilities and conducting evaluative studies/results based monitoring, if desired by the SDMC; appropriate programmes with budgetary support may be
developed.
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Sustainable Development Board (SDB)
It has been suggested that the SDMC will need technical advice from a small professional expert group. This body may be headed by the Cabinet Secretary and named "Sustainable Development Board (SDB)". The suggested composition of the SDB is s provided on p.140 of the 2013 NSDS (available in the resources section). The Sustainable Development Board will review the implementation status of the decisions of the SDMC and provide a report to the SDMC before its meeting. It will provide technical advice to the SDMC in implementing and monitoring strategic priority areas identified in the NSDS and suggest interim modification of the SD strategy for Bangladesh. The Ministry of Environment and Forest will provide the secretarial support to the Board and the Board may co-opt any other organization/expert as member of the Board if necessary. The Board will sit four times in a year.
Institutional support to the SDMC:
The Sustainable Development Monitoring Council will provide overall guidance, ensure implementation and monitoring NSDS and therefore there is a need for supporting institution to carryout instructions and follow up with relevant ministries, departments and agencies. The General Economics Division will be provided with adequate staff and logistics to provide the required secretarial support to the Council.
Resources
National Sustainable Development Strategy 2013
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