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fulfilling their pledges to provide official development assistance
(ODA) to least- developed countries for achieving millennium
development goals (MDGs). "International cooperation is critical to
the countries like Bangladesh to achieve the MDGs. But it's sad that
global actors have not fulfilled their commitment to provide
official development assistance to us," said Abdul Awal, chairperson
of SUPRO, a campaigner for good governance. "For Bangladesh, debt
cancellation is important for increased budgetary allocation in
various sectors for attaining the MDGs," he said at a discussion on
the progress towards achieving MDGs in Bangladesh organised by the
local chapter of UN Millennium Campaign. Among others, Minar Pimple,
deputy director of United Nations Millennium Campaign, Asia, was
present at the discussion in Dhaka. Analysts said developed countries
earlier had promised a role in achieving MDG-8 to address the
problems of unfair trade and financial systems. The advanced
countries are also supposed to provide 0.7 percent ODA of their GDP
in the global bid for development. But as per government data, net
ODA inflow into Bangladesh has been on the decline since the 1990 s.
In fiscal year 1990-91 , Bangladesh received net ODA of $1 ,240
million, but it nosedived to $110 million in 2006. In fiscal
2007-08 , net ODA stood at $96.1 million. "The developed countries
should fulfil their pledges to help us attain MDGs within the
stipulated time," said Awal of SUPRO. According to MDG, Bangladesh
will have to reduce its poverty rate to 29 percent by the year 2015.
At present, around 40 percent people of the country are poor.
Discussants said Bangladesh has made progress in attaining some MDGs
such as in poverty reduction, universal primary education and
promotion of gender equality and women empowerment.
