Victoria hopes to see more Swedish companies investing in Bangladesh
City Desk :
Crown princess Victoria of Sweden, UNDP goodwill ambassador, attended Bangladesh’s Green Transition Dialogue in Dhaka on Thursday.
Co-hosted by the United Nations Development Programme and the embassy of Sweden, the event titled ‘Accelerating Bangladesh’s Green Transition: Public-Private-Development Collaboration for a Sustainable Future’ brought together key stakeholders from the Public, Private, and Development sectors, with an aim to propel Bangladesh’s green transition efforts forward to achieve the SDGs, a UNDP press release said.
With a shared vision of fostering sustainable development, the dialogue convened key stakeholders from the public, private, and development sectors.
Crown princess Victoria, recognised for her strong commitment to sustainability, poverty eradication, and climate action, assumed the role of UNDP goodwill ambassador to advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals in October last year.
The crown princess’ presence underscores the importance of global collaboration in addressing pressing environmental challenges.
At the onset, Masrur Reaz, founder of Policy Exchange Bangladesh, presented the keynote paper on the private sector’s role in Bangladesh’s green transition.
Later, a panel discussion moderated by professor Imran Rahman, vice-chancellor of ULAB, explored public-private-development collaboration.
Panelists including Salman F Rahman, MP, private industry and investment adviser to the prime minister, Johan Forssell, Swedish minister for international development cooperation and foreign trade, Ulrika Modeer, UN assistant secretary general at UNDP and Sonia Bashir Kabir, founder of SBK Tech Ventures discussed drivers, challenges and strategies for advancing the green transition.
Salman F Rahman, highlighted the challenges regarding the investment in the private sector.
He said, ‘Bangladesh boasts the highest number of green-certified garments, reflecting significant investments in both green sustainability and safety.