Good governance cannot be there if the government takes law in its hand to retain its existence somehow or other, human rights activist Sultana Kamal said today.

Lack of good governance that has plunged the society into frustration widens the scope for corruption and denial of human rights, she said while talking at the launching of a Citizen’s Platform for Sustainable Development Goals, Bangladesh.

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Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) would be difficult for Bangladesh without good governance, noted development and human rights activists who addressed the programme noted.

“Mere economic growth is not development in a modern democracy,” said, “Justice and security too has to be there in place,” said Sultana Kamal, also the chairperson of Transparency International Bangladesh.

“Mere economic growth is not development in a modern democracy,” said, “Justice and security too has to be there in place,” said Sultana Kamal, also the chairperson of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).

It will be hard to achieve the SDGs with the ongoing pattern of economic deprivation and human rights violations, said Shaheen Anam, executive director of Manusher Jonno Foundation.

Becoming a middle income country leaving 17 percent of the population under the poverty line will not be socially and morally correct, she said.

With the biggest crisis prevailing in the area of good governance in the present day Bangladesh, incidents of human rights violations have been recurrent, said Anam.

Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) organised the formal launching at a media briefing at Cirdap auditorium.   

Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of TIB, said that the platform as a supporting forum of the government will help make the SDGs achievement endeavour inclusive and participatory.

Rasheda K Choudhury, executive director of Campaign for Popular Education, said that Bangladesh could achieve the inclusive development goals making use of the SDGs, which are global pledges.  

CPD executive director Prof Mustfizur Rahman said that the platform would attempt for environment-friendly SDG implementation based on equality. 

Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, convener of the platform, said that the platform will promote the slogan “Leave no one behind”. 

Distinctive characteristics of the SDGs, compared to MDGs, are that they are universal, inclusive and institutional transformative, he said, and they integrate education, health and environment.