Bangladesh's emphasizes on ICT at UN ECOSOC Forum meeting

Staff Reporter: Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations, Ambassador Rabab Fatima said today, “The lack of infrastructure, especially in the areas of ICT, health, and education was acutely felt during the COVID-19 pandemic held virtually at the UN Headquarters on Tuesday (April 13) local time. Therefore, it should be our urgent priority to build adequate infrastructure in all these areas.” She was speaking at a virtual panel discussion on ‘Accelerating infrastructure investments for a sustainable and resilient recovery and restoring trade’ at the ECOSOC’s ‘Financing for Development Forum’. Highlighting the critical importance of digital infrastructure for providing vital services to people, Ambassador Fatima urged the developed countries to ensure much needed technology transfer to LDCs and other vulnerable countries. She also underscored the importance of ensuring fast recovery from the pandemic as well as better resilience against current and future shocks. In this regard, she called for the integration of the disasters and climate change issues into investment decisions to build long-term sustainability and resilience. Underlining the weaknesses of the global supply chain infrastructure, Ambassador Fatima emphasized the need for further improvement of trade infrastructure including in the areas of transit, transportation, and shipping etc. In this regard, she put specific focus on the grants and long-term concessional financing in infrastructure investment, public-private financing, blended financing, south-south and triangular cooperation etc. She urged the advanced economies to fulfill their unmet promises in the areas of DFQF market access and other trade benefits to LDCs. The 2021 ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development is being held from 12-15 April 2021 in New York. Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, FCA, MP, is leading the Bangladesh delegation. He delivered a pre-recorded statement at the special segment of the Forum held on 12 April 2021. Bangladesh also participated in the Special High-level Meeting with Bretton Woods Institutions, WTO and UNCTAD today. BP/SM