Prime Minister’s Adviser on Public Administration Md Ismail Zabihullah on Sunday called for coordinated action across government, NGOs and development partners to accelerate Bangladesh’s progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“Achieving the SDGs ahead of target requires the cooperation of all stakeholders,” he said at a plenary session on SDG localisation at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre.
Zabihullah stressed that success would depend on aligning efforts from field administration to policy level, urging divisional and district officials, local government bodies and NGOs to work in tandem.
He said Bangladesh’s strong track record in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) ahead of schedule provides confidence that the SDGs are also achievable with effective coordination and institutional capacity.
Localising SDGs at grassroots
Highlighting the SDG Village Piloting Programme, the adviser described the selected villages as “laboratories” to test development interventions at the grassroots before scaling them nationwide.
He suggested including a village from a disadvantaged char area to better reflect the realities of vulnerable communities.
Zabihullah underscored that development must be judged by its impact on people’s daily lives rather than macroeconomic indicators.
“Development becomes meaningful only when ordinary people can feel it,” he said, citing access to education, healthcare, fair crop prices, income growth and disaster safety as key benchmarks.
He also emphasised that SDG localisation should follow a bottom-up approach, tailored to local contexts rather than imposed centrally.
Policy alignment with political commitments
The adviser linked SDG implementation with the government’s electoral pledges, saying many manifesto commitments overlap with SDG targets while others go beyond them.
Implementing both, he said, is essential to delivering on promises made to citizens.
He also called for sustained engagement with development partners, noting their continued confidence in Bangladesh’s implementation capacity.
Long-term policy focus stressed
Speaking at the session, Principal Coordinator (SDG Affairs) at the Prime Minister’s Office Dr S M Abdul-Awal highlighted the need for long-term, people-centric policies to address structural challenges.
He said consistent policy efforts over five to ten years are critical in areas such as employment, agriculture and water management.
Referring to the government’s Family Card initiative, he said boosting demand for essential goods could help expand production and generate jobs.
Abdul-Awal also stressed the importance of water resource management, pointing to canal excavation as a long-term solution to declining groundwater levels.
“If surface water use increases, groundwater recharge will improve over time,” he said, noting growing water stress in northern regions.
Broad participation
The session, moderated by GED Member (Secretary) Dr Monzur Hossain, featured presentations by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, General Economics Division and UNDP on SDG localisation, data management and lessons from pilot villages.
Lawmakers, senior officials, NGO representatives and divisional commissioners from Chattogram, Khulna and Rangpur took part in the discussion.
The event reviewed progress, challenges and prospects of SDG localisation, with a focus on strengthening coordination and accelerating implementation.