Ten Tasks for Future Bangladesh – আগামী বাংলাদেশের দশ করণীয়
The sixth
Abdul Ghafur Memorial Lecture was organised at the Bangladesh Institute of
Development Studies (BIDS) on 31st January 2024 at 2.30 pm. The lecture on “Ten Tasks for Future Bangladesh –
আগামী বাংলাদেশের দশ করণীয়” was delivered by Dr. Nazrul Islam, Former Chief of Development
Research at
the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. For the
second phase of Bangladesh's development, Dr. Nazrul Islam identified ten
tasks
including reducing economic inequality, establishing good governance, improving
the quality of democracy and introducing a proportional election, protecting
the environment and tackling climate change, establishing village council,
reducing regional disparities and Dhaka-centeredness of development, increasing
social cohesion, providing special attention to women, children and youth,
initiating universal military education, and protecting national resources and following
neutral foreign policy.
Professor Rounaq Jahan, Distinguished
Fellow, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), and Dr Kazi Iqbal, Research Director,
Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS)
attended the lecture as designated discussants. Dr. Binayak Sen, Director
General, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) chaired the event. The program was held in hybrid mode. This time only
a few selected remote attendees were allowed to join online.
In the
lecture, Dr Nazrul said that the utmost importance needs to be given to reducing economic inequality to take
Bangladesh to the level of a developed country. He also
added that if Bangladesh does not avoid the inequality trap,
then by 2041 it will never emerge as a
developed country. Eminent economist Rehman Sobhan said that
society has become unjust because of growing inequality and lax governance
against a representative system that reproduces a class of business-oriented
people.
Distinguished participants including Dr Kazi Iqbal, Research Director, BIDS, Professor Dr Mustafizur Rahman, Distinguished Fellow, CPD and Professor Dr MM Akash, the University of Dhaka spoke at the event among others.