Government has placed elimination of poverty and inequity at the forefront of its development strategy

Sharke Chaman Khan: “The current democratic government has placed elimination of poverty and inequity at the forefront of its development strategy. In accordance with the Election Manifesto, the thrust has now shifted to putting Bangladesh into a trajectory of high performing growth, stabilizing commodity prices, minimizing income and human poverty, securing health and education for all, enhancing creativity and human capacity, establishing social justice, rule of law, reducing social disparity, achieving capacity to tackle the adverse effects of climate change, and firmly rooting multi-party democracy and good governance in the body politic” said Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN, DR. A. K. Abdul Momen while he was delivering a statement yesterday at a pre-conference event on “Promoting universal access to essential services in LDCs” ( in preparation for the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries) organized by the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS).

Dr. Momen informed the session that Bangladesh government has given the highest priority to education in its public sector investments. Education sector allocations are currently about 2.3 percent of GDP and 14 percent of total government expenditure.Bangladesh has made significant progress, especially in regard to increasing access and gender equity, both at primary and secondary levels. Gross primary enrollment rates rose from 90 percent in the late 1990s to 98 percent, while a corresponding increase in enrollment rates at the secondary level rise to 44 percent. Gender parity in access to primary and secondary education has also been achieved. Now ratio of female and male students in primary education is 51:49 and in secondary 53:47.It should be noted that except for Sri Lanka, Bangladesh leads all other SAARC countries in net enrolment ratio (85%).  More remarkably, Bangladesh has already achieved the MDG goal of gender parity in primary and secondary education.

Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Least Developed countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States and Secretary-General of UN LDC IV, Cheick Sidi Diarra ; Director General of UNESCO, Ms. Irina Bokova ; the Chairman of the LDCs Group and Nepalese PR to the UN Gyan Chandra Acharya participated among other at the session.