From MDGS to SDG: Bangladesh as a Case Point

Pre-conference on Bangladesh – From MDGS to SDG: Bangladesh as a Case Point. A day-long preconference organized by the American Institute of Bangladesh Studies (AIBS) and The Subir and Malini Chowdhury Center for Bangladesh Studies at UC Berkeley at the 45th Annual Conference on South Asia in Wisconsin-Madison.

Overview

As the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) era comes to a conclusion in 2015, the year of 2016 ushers in a new set of official commitments from the world leaders for a more ambitious and bold 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Despite its relatively young age and exposure to major environmental as well as socio-political challenges, Bangladesh has been a role model in the developing world for making substantial progress in achieving MDG targets. The country has a steady economic growth rate of 6 to 7%, reducing dependence on foreign aid significantly over the decades. In addition, Bangladesh has made remarkable social progress in the areas of poverty reduction, infant and maternal mortality rate, child health, access to and gender parity in primary school enrollment, immunization coverage, and communicable disease control. However, Bangladesh is still in the process of regenerating its cultural, social, political, economic, physical and other structures and practices by strengthening existing institutions. As the country now accentuates the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted last September at the United Nations, engaging dialogues and critical discussions from multiple disciplines and scopes need to take place at this juncture.

Aims and Objectives

This 2016 preconference invited eight faculty members from different public and private universities in Bangladesh to participate in a week-­long workshop on writing and publishing in the US at the Subir and Malini Chowdhury Center for Bangladesh Studies at UC Berkeley. In this workshop, participants reviewed and refined their submitted proposals, ultimately for submission to refereed journals for publication. The proposals are centered around the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that focus on: no poverty; no hunger; good health and well-being; quality education; gender equality; clean water and sanitation; affordable and clean energy; decent work and economic growth; industry, innovation, and infrastructure; reduced inequalities; sustainable cities and communities; responsible consumption and production; climate action; life below water; life on land; peace, justice, and strong institutions; and partnerships for these goals. We hope that the featured presentations will highlight how Bangladesh is now preparing to achieve the SDGs in each of the respective areas of their presentations.

Program: Speakers/Subjects

Venue

Madison Concourse Hotel, Senate Room B
1 West Dayton Street, Madison, WI 53703

Contact

Tonia Mahnke, 608-265-1471