Bangladesh an important strategic partner in Indo-Pacific region: UK
UNB, Dhaka :
The Bangladesh-UK relationship is transitioning to a deeper economic, migration and security partnership while helping to protect Bangladesh’s development gains, said the British foreign ministry.
The UK’s development offer in Bangladesh aligns with the UK government’s Strategy for International Development (IDS) and the government of Bangladesh’s strategies and plans.
“Bangladesh is an increasingly important strategic partner for the UK in the Indo-Pacific region and it is a key player in upholding the Rules-Based International System (RBIS),” read a policy paper on UK-Bangladesh development partnership published by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
The Strategy for International Development (IDS) places development at the heart of the UK’s foreign policy.
It sets out a new approach to development, anchored inpatient, long-term partnerships tailored to the needs of the countries.
This approach goes beyond aid and brings the combined power of the UK’s global economic, scientific, security and diplomatic strengths to development partnerships.
The Country Development Partnership Summary details how the IDS and IR23 will be put into practice with Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is a Lower-Middle Income (L-MIC) country with aspirations to become an Upper Middle Income Country (U-MIC) by 2031.
The United Kingdom and Bangladesh have a long-standing partnership built on shared economic, security, development and people-to-people ties.
The UK was one of the first countries to recognise Bangladesh and the countries celebrated 50 years of partnership in 2021.
Bangladesh has made significant progress on development and it will graduate from Least Developed Country status in 2026.
It was the world’s second-poorest country at independence and had a Gross National Income (GNI) per person of $120 in 1973. It is now the world’s 33rd largest economy with a GNI per person of $2,570.
Annual GDP growth has averaged about 6 per cent since 2011, except in 2020 because of COVID-19. Growth has been fuelled by the expansion of garment exports, overseas remittances, external support, and domestic consumption.
Bangladesh has a strong record of poverty reduction and improvement in a range of social indicators.
Despite this progress, Bangladesh faces a range of development challenges as it strives to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, said the British Foreign Ministry.
Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to the impact of extreme weather events.
The Global Climate Risk Index highlights that Bangladesh was the 7th most climate-vulnerable country in the world in 2019.
It is one of the world’s most densely populated countries with more than one-third of the population living in urban areas.
Decades of high growth and impressive human development gains in Bangladesh are set against governance and democracy challenges, read the policy paper.
To overcome these development challenges, the UK said, a number of key economic and policy reforms have been identified by both the government of Bangladesh and development partners.
The government of Bangladesh has outlined rapid and transformational shifts in agriculture, trade, education, healthcare, transportation, communication and in conducting business in the 2021 to 2041 Perspective Plan.
