First Roundtable - Addressing Poverty, Hunger, and Gender Equality

Statement by

Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina

Prime Minister

Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh

UN HQ, New York, Monday, 21 September 2010

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

Mr. Chairman,

Distinguished Panelists,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Assalamu Alaikum and Good Morning to you all.

Our roundtable conference today is meant to deliberate two of the most important MDGs. They are MDG-1 on eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, and MDG-3 on promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women.

It is my belief that mankind's number one enemy is poverty, which is the source of most social disorders, including terrorism, and mankind's progress depends on equal opportunities for women and their participation in the development efforts of nations.

These two MDGs and the other six have emerged from the Millennium Declaration which was adopted by the UNGA in 2000. I was a witness and a signatory to the Declaration as the then Prime Minister of Bangladesh. I am fortunate to be here again after 10 years to participate in the stocktaking of the progress of the MDGs.

MDG-1 had three specific targets. One, to halve the proportion of people whose income was less than US $ 1 per day by 2015.

Two, to achieve full and productive employment for all, including women and young people, by 2015.

Three, to halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger by 2015.

Unfortunately, we have failed to achieve any one of these three targets. Meanwhile, another billion people have been pushed below the poverty line, due, amongst others, to the recent global economic meltdown.

The MDG Report depicts reduction of world poverty from 46 percent to 27 percent and in South Asia from 49 percent to 39 percent by 2005. The progress has been different in different countries, and even within an individual country depending on policies, and availability of funds to implement them.

This is where the development partners have had a vital role to play. Indeed, when the MDGs were being adopted, only social issues were considered, and not financing of the same, which is so essential for implementing the social targets.

I now believe from my experience that once economic emancipation is achieved, social development would follow as a natural course. I would, therefore, urge the international community from this conference to formulize a new MDG with specific targets for economic emancipation of developing countries, particularly LDCs, within stipulated time frames. The new economic MDG would be the base and core of all MDGs.

In Bangladesh, our government has adopted extensive programs targeting poverty. Micro-credit and micro-financing has been intensified. A new measure has been introduced to provide assistance to poor farmers and rural folk for opening a bank account with a nominal deposit of Taka 10 or 14 cents provided to them by our government.

The purpose is to enable them to learn handling money now loaned to them through their bank accounts at a substantially reduced rate of interest, and also to integrate them with the banking system. This would facilitate them to develop agriculture, small farming, and other small businesses. Another innovative measure taken is to provide employment to one person from each poor family over the next five years.

Moreover, education has been made compulsory and free with free books to all up to primary level. A MDG has been fulfilled with removal of gender inequality in net enrollment of boys and girls in primary and secondary schools.

Education of girls has been made free up to the 12th Class, and stipend given to girls in rural secondary schools. Our plan is to provide free tuition for girls up to degree level.

To encourage the poor to send their children to schools, a food ration scheme for their children under Food and Cash for Education program has been started. Employment Bank has also been set up to provide loans without mortgage to the unemployed youths in order to facilitate productive job creation.

Our Ashrayan program, which provides free government land to the poor and homeless people with sustainable jobs, has been a great success. Currently, over half of our budget resources are allocated for measures designed to reduce poverty from 45 percent to 15 percent by 2021, the Golden Jubilee Year of our independence.

As for MDG 3, it is one which is close to my heart for it targets elimination of all obstacles which deprive women from social, political, economic, and state facilities.

Our first ever National Women Development Policy adopted in 1997, during my first tenure as Prime Minister, began with the mission of empowering women in all earnest. An era opened encouraging women to participate in politics, administration, armed services and all other professions to bring them at par with men.

For the first time, special seats were reserved for women for direct elections as local government representatives, which resulted in 13 thousand directly elected representatives at grass root level.

For the first time, I also increased the number of reserved seats for women in the Parliament from the original 15 to 45; appointed the first woman Brigadier General in the Army, Judges in the High Courts, and Secretary to the government.

In my current cabinet, there are five women ministers holding the challenging portfolios of Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs, Agriculture, Labor and Women Affairs. The Leader of the Opposition, the Deputy Leader in the Parliament, a Whip, are all women.

Our women are thriving in all professions and forms 85 percent of workers or over 2 million, in our growing garments industry. MDG 3 is one where I am proud to say, Bangladesh is on target.

I conclude by emphasizing the fact that progress of all MDGs can only continue in a steady world economic condition, and its stable influence on national economies, and indeed, on sustained, predictable flow of funds to the developing, and especially to the least developed world.

For this, I again table for adoption of a new MDG on economic and financial emancipation of the developing world. Let this be the message from this roundtable conference to all our fellow members of the world community.

I thank you all. 

Khoda Hafez.

Joi Bangla, Joi Bangabandhu

May Bangladesh Live Forever