The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) organised the two-day workshop titled ‘Role of Member of Parliament in Monitoring and Implementing SDGs’.
Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury was the chief guest at the opening session along with a total of 30 MPs and senior government officials of the Parliament Secretariat, said UNDP.
The speakers said parliamentarians have an opportunity, and a constitutional responsibility, to play a significant role in supporting and monitoring implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Agenda 2030 Declaration acknowledges the essential role of national parliaments through their enactment of legislation and adoption of budgets.
Addressing the workshop, Dr Shirin said MPs are playing a critical role in implementing SDGs. “Being elected by the people of Bangladesh, they can take forward the people-centric development agenda by ensuring accountability and transparency.”
She also highlighted the initiatives of the Bangladesh government to mobilise resources for localising the SDGs, such as the social safety net programme.
“Each of the Member of Parliament’s core functions: representation, legislative, budgetary and oversight can be harnessed effectively towards supporting the implementation and realisation of the SDGs,” the Speaker added.
UN Resident Coordinator Mia Seppo said as Bangladesh poises for alleviation to middle-income status, the need to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals for an inclusive and responsible society is more pressing than ever before.
“The workshop has two major aims: informing the parliamentarians of the new 2030 agenda and SDGs and to facilitate the development approaches and tools for the parliamentarians to monitor and implement SDGs at the local level,” Country Director of UNDP Bangladesh, Sudipto Mukerjee said.
Chief Whip ASM Feroz while addressing the workshop said, “Poverty alleviation is essential to achieve the SDGs. “We also need to focus on reducing inequality from our society.”
Deputy Speaker of Parliament Md Fazle Rabbi Miah stressed the importance of public-private partnership in achieving SDGs.
Abul Kalam Azad, Chief Coordinator for SDGs Affairs in the Prime Minister's Office, presented the ‘SDG Framework and role of parliamentarians in monitoring and implementing the SDGs’
Dr Md Abdur Rob Howlader, Senior Secretary to Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat, highlighted the importance of establishing parliamentary mechanisms like Standing Committee in monitoring SDGs.
Among others, Whips Md Shahab Uddin and Iqbalur Rahim, Charles Chauvel, team leader, Inclusive Political Processes Governance and Peace building, UNDP, Radwan Mujib Siddiq, Senior Consultant, UNDP Bangladesh, and Sheela Tasneem Haq, Advisor Political Governance, UNDP Bangladesh were present.