On Monday, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Professor Md. Sayedur Rahman delivered statement at the 58th session of the CPD58 at the UN Headquarters in New York. Photo: BSS

DHAKA, April 8, 2025 (BSS) - Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser for the 
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Professor Md. Sayedur Rahman has called 
for increased investment in universal health and well-being for all, 
including targeted initiatives for youth. 

He made the call while delivering Bangladesh's national statement at the 58th 
session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD58) at the United 
Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York on Monday, according to a message 
received here today. 

Prof Rahman highlighted the potential of leveraging social business models by 
engaging enterprises to reinvest profits into expanding healthcare access, 
driving innovation in service delivery and empowering communities. 

He further reaffirmed Bangladesh's commitment to global cooperation stating 
that as a former Chair and current member of the UNFPA Executive Board, 
Bangladesh is ready to share its experiences and lessons learned, 
particularly in the areas of maternal health, gender equality and climate-
resilient health systems.

Rahman also spoke at a high-level side event titled "Improving Health and 
Well-being for Women and Newborns", organized by UNFPA. 

He underscored the critical role of midwives in improving maternal and 
newborn health and reiterated Bangladesh's commitment to midwifery education, 
training and creating more midwifery positions for accelerating progress 
towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

Bangladesh currently has around 3,000 professional midwives in service, with 
ongoing efforts to increase this number further, he added.

Prof Rahman is on an official visit to New York to attend the CPD 58th, being 
held from April 7-11. 

The Bangladesh delegation included Dr. Sarwar Bari, secretary of the Medical 
Education and Family Welfare Division, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare 
and Shireen Parvin Huq, chair of Women Affairs Reforms Commission.