In Bangladesh, government officials, professors and anti-poverty campaigners recently demanded a National Sharing Meeting on the progress of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The officials also presented a shadow report on December 9 in an event organized by SUPRO, a national network of grass roots organizations, at the Press Club in Dhaka.

Speakers at the event included M.S. Akbar, MP & Chairman of the Parliamentarian Standing Committee on Government Promises; Abdul Mannan, former State Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation; Mohammad Tarique Ahsan, Assistant Professor of the Institute of Education and Research at Dhaka University; Sanjida Akther Nira, Assistant Professor of Women & Gender Development Studies at Dhaka University; and Monisha Biswas, National MDGs Advocacy and Community Expert at the UN Millennium Campaign.

The roundtable discussion was moderated by SUPRO’s Chair, Abdul Awal, and the discussion paper was jointly presented by Lawrence Besra and Qumrunnessa Nazly, Coordinator of SUPRO.

The speakers demanded that Bangladesh’s MDG workplan be updated to address local problems caused by climate change, unemployment, market liberalization and the commercialization of essential services. Without a sustainable work plan, they said that government activities cannot be successful.

They called for programs to protect poor and marginalized people; updated curriculums and the training and empowerment of teachers in order to deliver quality education; and women-friendly education and working environments. The speakers also called for equitable distribution of land resources and social safety nets for Bangladesh’s vulnerable and marginalized communities.

Finally, they recommended an integrated plan to achieve the MDGs, with an increased budget for essential services; the elimination of corruption and mismanagement; and the strengthening of local government bodies.