Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has said that it is now time to rebuild Bangladesh, which has been left fragile by more than a decade and a half of what he described as fascist rule. He said prolonged exploitation and misrule had turned Bangladesh into a debt- and import-dependent fragile state. The country must now be rebuilt by addressing weaknesses in sectors including education, healthcare and the environment.

The prime minister made the remarks on Monday (August 10) while addressing the National Conference on Formulating a Five-Year Strategic Framework for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka.

Tarique Rahman said the SDGs would play an important role in the country’s reconstruction journey. To ensure prosperity for the people, the government has taken steps to implement a five-year strategic economic framework that aligns the country’s national development plans with the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations.

The prime minister said BNP’s people-oriented policies clearly demonstrate that its plans and programmes have always focused on public welfare.

He said the 19-point programme of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, the ‘Vision 2030’ of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and the 31-point state reform programme have all placed emphasis on the development and welfare of the country and its people. Historically, he said, these initiatives have significant similarities with the vision and mission of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the current SDGs.

Bangladesh demonstrated significant success in implementing the MDGs, and it is also taking appropriate steps to achieve the SDGs, Tarique Rahman said.

He noted that the SDG principle of “No One Left Behind” is consistent with the government’s people-oriented policies. “The government’s policy is ‘Bangladesh for All’ to ensure the interests of people from all walks of life,” he said.

The prime minister said the government’s “Five Pillars of Reform and Development” reflect key SDG priorities, including poverty reduction, universal social protection, quality education and healthcare, gender equality, climate resilience and good governance.

He said the government has adopted a “Three-R” strategy—Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction—to consolidate progress in achieving the SDGs and graduating from the list of least developed countries. Through this strategy, he said, everything from short-term stabilization to long-term structural transformation would be implemented under an integrated framework.

Tarique Rahman said that immediately after forming the government on February 17, the administration began implementing a number of social protection programmes, including the Family Card to ensure women’s social and economic empowerment, the Farmer Card to protect farmers’ interests and the e-Health Card to make public health and medical services more accessible.

Through these programmes, direct subsidies, agricultural inputs, financial assistance and healthcare services are being delivered to marginal farmers, low-income families and vulnerable groups, he said. The government has also introduced the Sports Card and brought imams, muezzins and religious leaders from different faiths under a state honorarium scheme.

The prime minister said the government has a well-planned roadmap to gradually bring every eligible citizen under the social safety net and financial assistance framework during its current term.

He said three villages—Mitingachhari in Kaptai upazila of Rangamati, Pankhali in Dacope upazila of Khulna and Nafanagar in Bochaganj upazila of Dinajpur—have been initially selected as pilot models for localizing the SDGs under the “SDG Village” initiative.

In these villages, various programmes—including Family Cards, Health Cards, Farmer Cards, loans for small and medium enterprises, school uniforms, madrasa-based education, renewable energy, rural tourism, the “One Village-One Product” initiative, tree plantation, canal excavation and ecotourism—will be implemented simultaneously on a pilot basis. Their impacts will also be monitored, the prime minister said.

Based on the success of the pilot initiative, the government plans to expand the model to other villages across the country, he said.

Tarique Rahman expressed hope that the SDG Village initiative would become an exemplary platform for presenting the government’s election commitments to the world as an internationally recognized development model.

Stressing that SDG implementation cannot be achieved by any single ministry or division, the prime minister said its success requires collective cooperation from the government, private sector, development partners, NGOs, civil society, the media and every citizen.

He expressed hope that during the three-day conference, coordinating ministries and divisions would discuss their progress, challenges and future priorities and formulate realistic and timely action plans.

Outlining the government’s vision for the future, Tarique Rahman said a democratic state would ensure free elections, the rule of law and institutional accountability. A humane state would guarantee universal access to healthcare, education and citizens’ rights, while a welfare state would ensure economic opportunities and fairness for every citizen.

“Let us all work with firm determination to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030,” the prime minister said.

Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Planning Ministry State Minister Zunaid Saki, Planning Division Secretary SM Shakil Akhtar and Prime Minister’s Adviser (ministerial rank) for the Ministry of Finance and Planning Dr Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, among other senior officials, attended the event.