Bangladesh emphasized the critical roles of climate resilience, water security, skills development and innovation-driven industrialization in accelerating progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) during the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at the UN Headquarters in New York.

Addressing the forum, Professor Dr S M Abdul Awal, Principal Coordinator for SDG Affairs at the Prime Minister's Office, noted that Bangladesh has long prioritized sustainable water management and climate adaptation.

He pointed to an ambitious government initiative to excavate 20,000 kilometers of canals over the next five years, which aims to boost irrigation networks, enhance rainwater retention, elevate groundwater tables, and secure drinking water supplies for urban and rural populations alike.

Furthermore, a press release issued on Saturday by the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York stated that Dr Abdul Awal highlighted the necessity of international cooperation regarding transboundary water sharing, which includes seeking support for the Teesta Barrage Project in northern Bangladesh.

Addressing SDG 9 in a separate intervention, Dr Abdul Awal underscored that innovation, sustainable industrialization, and resilient infrastructure stay central to the nation's core development blueprint as it transitions out of the least developed country (LDC) category.

He underlined the significance of directing investments into entrepreneurship, digital infrastructure, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), alongside knowledge-based education to prepare the youth for upcoming employment sectors and foster a knowledge-driven economy.

Concluding his remarks, Dr Abdul Awal invited the global community to invest heavily across Bangladesh's creative, digital, leather, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and agricultural sectors, emphasizing that the country currently provides a welcoming climate for foreign investment in the wake of the democratic election.

He affirmed that these coordinated initiatives will secure past developmental achievements, create new jobs, and pave the way for a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient future.

With Inputs from UNB