Book Review

1. Book Review Dr. Muhammad Zubaer Hussain Roll: 3239 32nd Special Foundation Training Course (Health) NAPD

2. BANGLADESHCITIZENS’ PERSPECTIVES ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Edited by- Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad Ahsan Uddin Ahmed

3. Publisher: Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad Published: August 2002 Page: 180

4. About the Editors: • Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad (PhD) is an Economist and the Chairman of Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad (BUP). A various focus of his research over the past decade has been various aspects-economic, social, environmental- of sustainable development. • Ahsan Uddin Ahmed (PhD) – is Head, Water and Environment Division, BUP. He has been particularly concerned in his research with environmental management and climate change issues.

5. THEME OF THIS BOOK The book is based on the outcomes of 22 workshops organized on different themes at the Dhaka Meeting On Sustainable Development in Bangladesh: Achievements, Opportunities and Challenges at Rio+10 held in Dhaka during 15-18 March 2002. Over 1000 policy makers, policy implementers, business leaders, academic, development practitioners, journalists, community leaders & others concerned participitated in the 22 workshops. The book brings together ideas, analyses and proposals concerning different aspects of sustainable development in Bangladesh.

6. 22 topics were addressed in this context in 22 separate workshops. About half a day devoted to each. The various sessions were chaired by distinguished personalities. Finally, these discussions were placed in this book in 22 chapters. Each chapter starts with (present) status then described the key challenges and ends with Recommendations for action.

7. Chapters: • Introduction • Freedom of Choice & Democratic Governance • Local Govt. and Mobilization of Local People and Resources • Environmental Governance • Corruption, Criminalization and Violence • Globalization • Financing Sustainable Development • Socially Responsible Public-Private Partnership

8. Chapters: …contd. • Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security • Small and Medium Enterprises • Energy Security • Technological issues • Information and Communication Technologies • Perspective of Children and Youth • Empowering Women • Development of Human Capabilities: Education, Training and Health

9. Chapters: …contd. • Integrated Water Resources Management: Vision and Framework for action • Bio-Diversity Management • Managing Natural Disasters • Managing Climate Change • Managing Urbanization • News Media • Cultural Dimensions

10. Introduction It is crucial at the national level that broad based views are generated in respect to various pertinent national and international issues relating to sustainable development

11. Freedom of Choice & Democratic Governance Good governance is a key to sustainable development, and freedom of choice is a key to good governance. Key Challenges: • Lack of Democratic practices within major political parties. • Lack of an effective democratic local govt. Recommendations for actions: • Effective co-ordinations must be established among various agencies and ministries. • The politicians must place national interests above their party and personal interests.

12. Local Govt. and Mobilization of Local People and Resources Decentralization is one of the basic preconditions of efficient and equitable growth. Key Challenges: • Little progress has been achieved in the mobilization of local human potential as well as local financial and other resources • Vertical and lateral co-ordination among local govt. has never been effectively established. Recommendations for actions: • Local govt. should have constitutional protection against any bureaucratic and political assaults (e.g.. Sudden dissolution of elected local govt. members). • Direct allocation of one third of the total central govt. budget to local govt.

13. Environmental Governance The govt. as well as civil society now fully recognize the overwhelming importance of environmental sustainability. Key Challenges: • Existing legal & regulatory provisions relating to the environment sectors are not enforced. • Awareness building has not reached in all segments of society. Recommendations for actions: • To employ/engage environmental professionals at different tiers of govt. • Issues like river bank erosion, soil quality degradation, noise pollution in urban areas should receive priorities.

14. Corruption, Criminalization and Violence If corruption is one side of the coin, crime & criminalization are the others. Key Challenges: • A mutually beneficial symbiosis syndrome between tax official and tax payers or bank officials and loan receiver has been created. • Violence is often an organized act. Recommendations for actions: • A strong political will is a basic need for getting rid of this cancer. • A social movement can play an effective role against corruption, crime and violence.

15. Globalization Globalization has gained increasing importance since 1990.Globalization offers both opportunities & challenges. Key Challenges: • Bangladesh with its weak economy and only a few exportable cannot find many advantages from globalization. • With drawl of quota system is major concern. Recommendations for actions: • The country’s education system must be made more skill & quality oriented. • Bangladesh should coordinate other LDCs for common negotiating strategies for maximizing the benefit. • Urgent action is needed for expanding and diversifying the countries export.

16. Financing Sustainable Development It is recognized that however good the framework for action and programming may be, progress is dependant on the availability of financial resources. Key Challenges: • Bangladesh has not been able to attract FDI because of political uncertainties, bureaucratic hindrances, law & order situation and infrastructural inadequacy. • Share market trading that takes place is mostly in secondary shares, i.e. money raised for real investment is very low. Recommendations for actions: • Macroeconomic stability is essential for people to find it worthwhile to save & invest & participate in various social & economic activities. • Forceful action must be taken against bank loan defaulter culture. • Effective regulatory mechanism should be implemented for proper functioning of stock exchange & to inspire the confidence.

17. Socially Responsible Public-Private Partnership In the current globally running free market strategy private sector has an important role for the country’s development process. Bangladesh joined the economic liberalization process formally in the late 1980s. Key Challenges: • Investment is monopolized by a small number of large investors. Recommendations for actions • The private sector, can surely work better if the prevailing social environment is conductive. • A favourable political will and a purposeful social mobilization are necessary to move the process.

18. Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security Over the years there has been a shift from rain-fed to irrigated and from low yielding to high yielding variety. Key Challenges: • Shrinking availability of land per person and loss of farmland. • Arsenic contamination of ground water poses a great threat. Recommendations for actions • Crop diversification should be encouraged by giving subsidy for breaking away from rice monoculture. • Investment in agriculture is very low, so participation in private sectors should be encouraged. • A highly potential dairy industry needs to be fostered. • Much more attention needs to be given for agricultural research.

19. Small and Medium Enterprises A small industry is one that employs less than 50 workers whereas a medium industry normally employs between 50 and 99 workers. Key Challenges: • Absence of active policy support to assist the SMEs. • Unavailability of skilled managers and workers. • Lack of access to funds or credits. • Corruption & bureaucratic hurdles also impede investment. Recommendations for actions • Policy adjustments and new policies should be adopted to enable SMEs for overcoming difficulties. • Attention needs to be given to the improvement of transportation and communication. • Market exploration in foreign countries is needed for export oriented SMEs.

20. Energy Security Majority of the population of Bangladesh suffers from energy insecurity. Per capita energy consumption in 1999 were 211 kg of oil equivalent among the lowest in the world. Key Challenges: • Adequate attention has not been given to the optimum development of different indigenous energy sources • No efficient operation of public and private partnership. Recommendations for actions • Energy development programmes must be based on long term (40-50 years) perspective to be implemented phase wise- e.g. under short term (1-5 years), medium term (15-20 years) and long term horizon. • Adequate institutional capacity should be built in BAPEX for conducting exploration & development of natural gas.

21. Technological issues The challenges of development can not be met without wide-scale application of beneficial technologies. Key Challenges: • Negligible funding is available for technological research and development. Recommendations for actions • Appropriate incentives should be provided to retain the country’s own technological experts. • It is necessary to undertake programmes with adequate funding support for domestic development of appropriate (from both efficiency and environmental point of view ) technologies.

22. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) It is obviously encouraging that Bangladesh is on the ICT age, however small it may be. Key Challenges: • Inadequacy of telecommunication and electricity infrastructure is a serious constraint on iCT expansion in Bangladesh. • Language is one of the barriers in the ICT sector. Recommendations for actions • ICT education must be introduced at lower level of educational institution. • It is extremely necessary to expand telephone, electricity, and other facilities, which remain extremely limited in rural areas.

23. Perspective of Children and Youth Children and youth are link between now & future. Sustainable development is therefore incomplete if they are not taken into account. Key Challenges: • Overall anarchy in the education sector. • Limited availability of recreational facilities. Recommendations for actions • The society must be freed form all form of violence. • Merit must be given priority in the process of selection of public employees. • Morality and ethic related messages should be incorporated in the curricula starting at the beginning.

24. Empowering Women Women’s role in sustainable development is crucial, as they constitute half of the population. Key Challenges: • Working environment for women in various sector is still not as secure as it should be. • Cases of harassment are frequent occurrence. • Wage difference still exists in the formal sector. Recommendations for actions • To provide deterring punishment of the domestic and work place violence. • The concerned govt. agencies and the gender sensitized civil organizations should co-operate and work together.

25. Development of Human Capabilities: Education, Training and Health A society can not be civilized, humane or effectively democratic until the people are educated. Good health is crucially important as well. Key Challenges: • Very little research i.e. knowledge creation is conducted in the universities, because of lack of tradition & resources. • Enrollment in technical education constitute only 3.3% of the total secondary enrollment. • Persisting campus violence at higher educational institutions is a major challenge. • Widespread nutritional deficiency particularly among children. Recommendations for actions • Vocational training should be introduced early enough. • Another crucially important step is training of the teachers. • A major emphasis needs to be placed on English as a second language. • Preventive health care knowledge must be spread by any means.

26. Integrated Water Resources Management Bangladesh is situated in such a location that it has to drain over 90% of the combined flows of Eastern Himalayan river system i.e. Ganges, Brhramaputra and the Meghna. Key Challenges: • Bangladesh is one of those countries, which will be directly affected by the global climate change and the sea level rise. • Water quality in many of the rivers has deteriorated due to indiscriminate use of agro-chemicals, disposal of industrial wastage. Recommendations for actions • Ganges river project should be implemented without further loss of time under the Ganges treaty. • Conjunctive use of surface and ground water, water retention in haors, baors and beels.

27. Bio-Diversity Management Various life forms and their vast diversity have made the mother earth habitable. Key Challenges: • A total of 65 species are now critically endangered, 95 species are endangered and 59 species are in vulnerable category. • Use of ‘ current jal ’, catching of juvenile hilsa. Recommendations for actions • Media may play helpful role in this context. • These issues should be highlighted in the school level curricula.

28. Managing Natural Disasters Bangladesh is prone to natural disaster. Key Challenges: • Flood forecasting system shown to be promising but it could not become as effective as for cyclone. • Earthquake neither prevented nor forecast, but the challenge lies in minimizing the loss. Recommendations for actions • Building code must be strictly followed. • Disaster zoning with and prohibiting further density of population in high risk areas.

29. Managing Climate Change Bangladesh will be one of the worst victims. Key Challenges: • A key challenge relates to the comprehensive understanding about the climate change and the possible consequences. • Another area of challenge relates to the identification of technologies which not only reduce GHG emissions but also offers least cost. Recommendations for actions • It is necessary to assess adaptation potential for each likely adverse impact. • Bangladesh should do all possible to impress upon the developed world the urgency that they comply with commitment made in Rio & Kyoto.

30. Managing Urbanization The country entered the 21st century with an urban population 29 % of total citizen. Nearly 25% of this urban population are in the capital Dhaka. Key Challenges: • The question is how to control unplanned urban growth? • Quality of available urban services particularly those in large cities are often poor and uncertain. Recommendations for actions • Land use planning including housing development must be carefully formulated & strictly implemented. • To improve urban management practices e.g. tax collection, service quality.

31. News Media Free and vibrant media can play an outstanding role in helping good governance and sustained development by working as watchdog. Key Challenges: • Motivated reporting and failure to follow journalistic ethics are not too infrequent. • Lack of educational background and training of some reporters and editorial stuffs reduces the quality of report. Recommendations for action: • A free environment should be created for the media to be able to work without interference. • The media may give adequate emphasis on rural entities.

32. Cultural Dimensions Sustainable development is not possible unless it is firmly anchored on national identity and heritage. Key Challenges: • The cable TV networks have exposed the people to a lot of foreign cultural programmes both worthy and unworthy and perhaps the later is greater. • A culture of acquiring as much money and wealth as quickly as possible has become a widespread phenomenon. Recommendations for actions • Social norms and values should be practiced at both family and social level. • We should consume more and more of local fruits. Drinking of coconut water instead of coca-cola is healthier & money saving.

33. Criticism: This book is an aggregated form of issues that need to be focused on. All of the subject matter was extensively discussed, highlighted the key points and finally recommended what to do or what not to do. Most of the topic were presented by learned person of that field. Therefore It might be a guideline for the policy makers.

34. Criticism: • This book is actually a collection of articles presented over a meeting. Therefore, some credits or criticisms go to participants rather than the editors. Nevertheless the staff members of the Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad especially the two editors being Chairman & Head of Water and Environment Division, BUP respectively worked hard in making necessary arrangements for holding this meeting in one binding. • The paper of this book is of good quality with clear typeset. However, the cover page is simple and binding might be better. • Absence of diagrams, charts.

35. Conclusion: There are many challenges facing the global society on the pathway to a safer, more peaceful and prosperous world i.e. sustainable world. These fundamental hurdles must be overcome. Let all concerned come together and act with determination.

36. Thank You