Md Imran Hossen. Staff Correspondesn 
The United Nations General Assembly has unanimously approved a proposal to extend Bangladesh’s preparatory period for graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category by another three years. As a result, the country’s graduation deadline has been extended to November 24, 2029.
The proposal was adopted at the UN General Assembly on Thursday.
The decision is being viewed as an important diplomatic achievement for the current government. It will give Bangladesh additional time to strengthen its economic capacity, diversify exports and prepare to address the potential impact of losing trade preferences and international support associated with LDC status.
Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Irene Zubaida Khan, said, “Bangladesh is graduating from the LDC category not merely because of an international process, but because graduation is the aspiration of our people. It is a national imperative, and our government is firmly committed to achieving this goal.”
Following the formation of the new government, Bangladesh formally applied for an extension of its preparatory period on February 18. The application was made in consideration of global economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, changing international trade conditions, energy and supply-chain risks, and domestic economic challenges.
After the UN Committee for Development Policy (CDP) recommended Bangladesh’s application, the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) forwarded the matter to the General Assembly for a final decision on July 21.
To advance diplomatic efforts in support of the application, the government prepared a three-year action plan with specific programmes and targets for each year.
The extended period will provide an opportunity to address structural weaknesses, diversify export products, improve infrastructure and supply chains, and implement necessary economic reforms.
Making effective use of the additional time to build a competitive, diversified and sustainable economy, while strengthening the country’s capacity to face post-graduation challenges, is now a key priority for Bangladesh.
