Speakers at a high level dialogue held on Wednesday at the Prime Minister’s Office said that the LDC Graduation strategy of Bangladesh and the associated action plan should be highly action oriented to ensure a smooth and sustainable graduation. Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister and the Chair of the National Committee on LDC Graduation M. Tofazzel Hossain Miah chaired the high level dialogue. Secretaries of the concerned government ministries and divisions as well as high level representatives of various business chambers participated in the dialogue. It is notable that Bangladesh met all the criteria for graduation from the LDC status in the consecutive 2018 and 2021 triennial reviews of the Committee for Development Policy (CDP) of the United Nations. Following a five years’ preparatory period, Bangladesh will graduate from the LDC status in November 2026.
It is recommended by the United Nations that a graduating LDC should prepare a national Smooth Transition Strategy (STS) during the preparatory period in cooperation with its development and trading partners and with targeted assistance from the UN system.
Speaking on the occasion, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister and the Chair of National Committee on LDC Graduation M Tofazzel Hossain Miah said that the Smooth Transition Strategy can provide some effective recommendations for turning the challenges of Bangladesh’s upcoming LDC graduation into opportunities.
Secretary of the Economic Relations Division Md. Shahriar Kader Siddiky, Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority Lokman Hossain Miah, Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Md. Selim Uddin, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Industries Zakia Sultana, former ERD Secretary and the current Alternate Executive Director of the World Bank Group Sharifa Khan, former Commerce Secretary Tapan Kanti Ghosh, spoke during the occasion among others.
