Firming up institutional arrangements

Through the current 7th Five Year Plan 2016-2020, the government of Bangladesh has begun the  journey of sustainable development goals  (SDGs) as a 'whole of government' approach, which includes health as a prominent sector. The subsequent two Five Year Plans 2020-2025 and 2025-30 will further boost investment, measurement and review and thereby more and more progress in SDGs. The good thing is that the 4th Health, Population and Nutrition Sector Programme 2017-22 of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) began in January 2017 and will end in June 2022. This will cover the first one-third of the SDG period and is well-tuned to carry forward the agenda of health-related SDGs in Bangladesh. This has been developed based on a Strategic Investment Plan for health, population and nutrition (HPN) Sector. The HPN Sector will get two more sector programmes during the SDG period.
However, although Bangladesh is gaining momentum in attainment of health-related SDGs, some new institutional arrangements could be more instrumental in boosting progress. The public-owned health organisations have limited management and financial authorities. Many management and financial decisions are centrally controlled. Budgetary allocations follow rigid rules without flexibility. Social health insurance and creation of sufficient resource pool from various innovative approaches to support universal health coverage are absent. The government does not buy services from private providers although private-public partnerships are recently being encouraged in healthcare industries. Pay-for- performance for incentivising individual healthcare staffs is absent. Therefore, delegation of more financial and management authorities to local level health organisations, creation of flexibilities in budget use, introduction of social health insurance through the Social Protection Schemes, building sufficient resource pool from increasing health taxes on widely used commodities and health insurance premiums on the individuals who can afford. Many factors that affect health of individuals and communities are beyond the ambit of health ministry. Health Ministry needs to understand and follow the activities of other sectors that have an impact on health.
Quality education (Goal 4) is an essential growth driver. The kind of education must match with the need of the changing society and stage of development. Our growth process could not get momentum because of dearth of required human resources. Quality of education at every tier is the urgent need of the hour rather than horizontal expansion of educational institutions. Method of recruitment /appointment at every level either public or private should be based on open competition and this will not only ensure justice and also would force young learners to be only attentive and meticulous.
APPROACHES TO GENDER EQUALITY: It is well understood that gender inequality is deeply rooted in economic, social and cultural structures as well as discriminatory institutions. The SDGs can accelerate progress towards gender equality provided there are changes to overcome systemic discrimination women face in social, environmental and economic areas. Over the last two and half decades, the initiative to ensure equal rights of women and non-discrimination has gained momentum in Bangladesh and has been successful in mobilising and coordinating women to stand up for their rights. However, relentless endeavour is underway on the part of the government by way of adoption of policies, legislation, strategies, national action plans, budgetary and programmes for realisation of empowerment of women.
The government of Bangladesh has committed itself to promoting gender equality and women's empowerment also through other political, legal and policy framework such as the Constitution of Bangladesh granting equal rights to women and men in all spheres of public life, ratification of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and its domestication, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Development Goals, 7thFive Year Plan (2015-20) and National Women's Development Policy (NWDP)-2011, in particular, address a wide range of issues that affect women's empowerment, including economic participation, political empowerment and participation in decision making, social protection for women against vulnerability and risk, eliminating all forms of violence against women and building women's capacity through education and knowledge dissemination.
The National Social Security Strategy (NSSS) has highlighted women's poverty and vulnerability issues. Some 1.2 million widowed, distressed and vulnerable women get allowance from the government. Around 0.12 million are getting lactating mother allowance. The strategy has suggested to create enabling workplace by establishing day care centres. In the planning and budgetary process, gender issues have now been integrated in our country. Productive employment creation has been given emphasis in the 7th FYP where women's employment opportunity will also be enhanced. Gender dimension is very prominent in health and education sectors. Ministry of Home Affairs has a very critical role particularly in addressing violence against women. Ministry of Public Administration has a very positive role in making decisions about selection of female candidates in public jobs. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Women and Children Affairs is overseeing the implementation of violence against women and violating women's rights.
Linkage with Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and Cooperatives will be required for local government representative election, with Bank and Financial Institution Division (BFID) for Mobile Financial Services (MFS), with Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) for tackling climate change issue and with Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment (MoEWOE) for addressing female migrants' vulnerability.
Each goal of SDG has its gender perspective. But SDG 5 will try to address gender equality and empowerment of women and girls. So, linkages have to be addressed in that perspective with other goals of Agenda 2030. Ministry of Women and Children Affairs will oversee and initiate actions building on specific linkages among  SDGs.  
All the SDG have industry-related targets because of industrialisation's association with job creation, sustainable livelihoods, innovation, adoption of technology and skills development, food security, green technologies and equitable growth. Industry has a strong multiplier effect on economic activities by providing decent jobs and expanding fiscal revenues needed for social investments, and can boost capacity for socially inclusive development.
Traditional infrastructure and business infrastructure also accelerate economic linkages and networks through integration of transport with logistics, value chains and creation of enabling business environments. Agglomerations and other growth benefits can, for example, be realised from productive and innovation hub development around transport nodes and important urban centers. Resilient infrastructure contributes to lowering the carbon and environmental footprint of industry and facilitates the optimal location of industrial agglomerations, thereby minimising associated health, safety and environmental risks. Mobilising financial resources from the private sector through public-private partnerships plays an important role.
A pro-poor Climate Change Management strategy has been adopted which prioritises adaptation and disaster risk reduction and also addresses low carbon development, mitigation, technology transfer and mobilisation and international provision of adequate finance. The government of Bangladesh has been considering setting up of a 'Global Technology Acquisition Fund' to enable Bangladesh's industries to acquire very high technology knowledge base.
Considering foreign direct investment (FDI) is not only an important source of financing but more importantly it is an excellent source of importing technology and modern management and critical instruments for improving total factor productivity. For technological advancement, public and private expenditures on research and innovation must be increased.
Technology can also be imported from abroad through FDI which brings the latest equipment, management skills, and technical know-how. Technology transfer in the garment industry is evidenced from partnership with foreign investors. Adoption of improved technology can be a major factor for improving total factor productivity and increasing the rate of growth.
The government should build partnership with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), multinational companies, international research organisations and donors so that greater technology transfer is facilitated. Access to modern technology-related to business and jobs would be expanded at a low cost. Women's access to information related to markets, employment, and production or business opportunities would be increased through using media and ICT.
Professor Shamsul Alam is Member (Senior Secretary), General Economics Division (Focal Point for Poverty and SDGs), Bangladesh Planning Commission.
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