DHAKA, Dec 13, 2023 (BSS) - The Economic Relations Division (ERD) under the 
finance ministry and the United Nations (UN) Country Team today held a joint 
steering committee meeting to review the UN Sustainable Development 
Cooperation Framework 2022-26. 

The meeting was co-chaired by ERD Secretary Md Shahriar Kader Siddiky and UN 
Bangladesh Resident Coordinator Gwyn Lewis, a UN press release said here. 

The UNSDCF 2022-26 was launched jointly by the UN and the Government of 
Bangladesh in 2021. 

The framework outlines the UN support to Bangladesh to advance sustainable 
development and to achieve the objectives of the 8th Five-Year Plan. 

The framework covers various programmes, over five strategic priorities, 
spanning twenty-seven results areas.

Representatives from twenty-seven ministries and seventeen UN agencies 
discussed the progress made and plans for 2024 in key strategic areas of the 
framework. 

This includes economic growth, education, health, poverty alleviation, food 
security & nutrition, social protection, environment, governance, and gender 
equality. 

The UN representatives also presented a financial overview of the spending in 
programming in 2023.

During the meeting, Siddiky emphasized the key role of multilateral actors 
including the UN and other international bodies in sustainable development 
and in contributing to the country's 2026 graduation from Least Developed 
Country (LDC) status.

The UN coordinator emphasized the importance of collaboration and the need to 
work in partnership to address the challenges of climate change and to 
increase our shared ambition to achieve the SDGs by 2030.

At the end of the meeting, the participants, from both the government 
ministries and UN agencies, expressed their satisfaction with the advancement 
made in various sectors over the past year. 

They renewed their commitment to continue to work more closely together and 
strengthen the partnership formed.

The next meeting will be held in April 2024, said the release.