Eliminate social imbalances to achieve SDGs : President

BSS :

The ‘World Standards Day’ will be observed in the country as elsewhere across the globe today with the theme ‘Shared vision for a better world – Standards for SDGs”.
On the eve of the day, President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages.
In his message, President Abdul Hamid said the primary responsibility of the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) is to formulate product standards and ensure implementation of those standards.
In order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), emphasis has been placed on eliminating social imbalances, sustainable economic development and limiting the scale of climate change, he added.
BSTI became a member of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 1974 with the sole efforts of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the head of the state added.
As member of ISO, the BSTI has been playing an important role in formulating and controlling standards in all aspects of production, sales and marketing of products in Bangladesh by following ‘international standards’, Hamid said.
He said it is very important to ensure the production of quality products and services in all fields to improve the quality of life of the people.
In order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), emphasis has been placed on eliminating social imbalances, sustainable economic development and limiting the scale of climate change, he added.
He thought that it is possible to achieve these goals using the existing materials of international standards and conformity assessment.
In order to build a developed and prosperous Bangladesh by 2041, the president urged all including industrialists, sellers and consumers to become aware of following and implementing international standards in all fields including business and trade.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, said that the dream of Bangabandhu was to build a ‘Sonar Bangla’ free from economic emancipation and poverty.
The Awami League led-government is working tirelessly to improve the destiny of the people of the country by realizing the dream of the father of the nation, the premier said.
Under the leadership and efforts of Bangabandhu, BSTI gained the membership of ISO in 1974 and Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) in 1975, she added.
Later, BSTI got four more membership of the international and regional organizations including International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) and Asia Pacific Metrology Programme (APMP) and South Asian Regional Standards Organization (SARSO), she mentioned.
The Awami League-led government is determined to provide quality food and products to the people, she said, adding that in the era of free market economy, there is no alternative to producing international quality products.
“Implementation-activities are underway to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030,” she continued.
“We are working according to the action plan to transform Bangladesh into a sustainable industrialized country by 2041 through environment-friendly and export-oriented industrialization by increasing productivity in the industrial sector,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina firmly believed that Bangladesh will be able to achieve its desired goals by continuing the ongoing trend of knowledge-based and modern industrialization by transforming the people into human resources in the country.
Both the president and the premier wished the overall success of all the programmes taken on the occasion of ‘World Standards Day-2022’.
Marking the day, BSTI has taken comprehensive programmes, including discussions at its head office, regional offices, and special programmes at Bangladesh Television (BTV) and Bangladesh Radio.