BDF 2020 begins tomorrow 

Bangladesh Development Forum (BDF) 2020 is set to begin at Bangabandhu International Conference in the capital tomorrow.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the two-day event that will focus on the Eighth Five-Year Plan (FYP) covering 2021-2025, according to the Economic Relations Division (ERD).

The ERD under the Finance Ministry will host the programme.

Dr Samsul Alam, member of the planning commission of the General Economic Division, will present the keynote session on "Effective Partnership for Implementing the Eighth Five-Year Plan Aiming towards Achieving SDGs."  

Focusing on the keynote session, eight more sessions will also be held. 

The other sessions are: Private Sector Engagement and Trade Facilitation; Partnership for Climate Change and its Financing; Innovative Financing for a Self-reliant Bangladesh; Rural Transformation: Creating Opportunities for All; Health Services: Inclusive Delivery Options; Energy Security for Sustainable Growth; Sustainable Cities: Services and Protection for the Vulnerable; and Quality Education for All: Preparing for 4th Industrial Revolution

Hartwig Schafer, the World Bank vice-president for South Asia; Junichi Yamada, senior vice-president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, and Shixin Chen, vice-president of the Asian Development Bank, will attend the forum. 

At a pre-event press briefing at the ERD conference room on Monday, the ERD Secretary Monowar Ahmed said, "The forum will discuss issues of effective partnership for implementing the 8th FYP aiming towards achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs)."

The previous BDF edition was held in January 2018. The BDF 2018 brought together about 700 delegates representing the Bangladesh government and various development partners, including the UN, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and others.