Bangladesh seeks stronger global backing for LDC graduation at ECOSOC meetings
Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir has urged the international community to strengthen support for Bangladesh’s graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category, including backing the country’s request for a three-year extension to its preparation period.
The appeal was made during separate bilateral meetings with the President and Vice-President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) at the UN Headquarters in New York on Friday.
During the meetings, the minister explained the government’s rationale for extending the LDC graduation preparation period by three years to ECOSOC President and Nepal’s Permanent Representative, Ambassador Lok Bahadur Thapa, and ECOSOC Vice-President and Algeria’s Permanent Representative, Ambassador Amar Bendjama.
He said Bangladesh had been unable to fully utilise the originally designated preparation period due to a combination of domestic and global challenges, including ongoing economic and political transitions, global economic uncertainty, the energy crisis, supply chain disruptions, the multidimensional impacts of climate change and other external shocks.
Muktadir reaffirmed that Bangladesh remains firmly committed to graduating from the LDC category. He stressed that the request for an extension was not intended to delay graduation, but rather to ensure a smooth, sustainable and resilient transition.
According to the minister, the additional preparation period would enable Bangladesh to consolidate structural reforms, strengthen governance, restore macroeconomic stability, reinforce the financial sector, create a more investment-friendly environment, improve infrastructure and effectively implement a comprehensive Smooth Transition Strategy.
The Bangladesh delegation included Prime Minister’s Adviser on Finance and Planning Dr Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, State Minister for Planning Zonayed Saki, Economic Relations Division (ERD) Secretary Mohammad Shahriar Kader Siddiky, Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury, Leather Goods and Footwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association of Bangladesh President Syed Nasim Manzur, and Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Mahmud Hasan Khan.
The ECOSOC President and Vice-President acknowledged the global challenges facing developing countries during their transition from LDC status and expressed their commitment to working closely with Bangladesh to help ensure a smooth, sustainable and stable graduation process.
