BANGLADESH DEVELOPMENT MODEL: At last US realised it

Bangladesh is a role model of development, aspiring to be a developing country within a few years and an upper middle-income country by 2031.

Relevant world bodies have much earlier recognised the countrys socio-economic progress terming it as a remarkable success story. Lots of countries and global organisations praised the country for its remarkable progress. Of late, recognition to this feat came from the United States that had ridiculed the country right at its birth as an International Basketcase. Henry Kissinger, former US Secretary of State was the person to dismiss the country as a "perpetual economic basket case". Within decades after independence, the country has proved Kissinger utterly wrong.

In the past 52 years, the country has undergone a great deal of transformation. There has been good progress in almost all spheres of life. Presently, Bangladesh has turned out to be a high-growth economy in South Asia. It even performs better than some of its neighbours. Its human development outcomes also improved along many dimensions. If anyone looks at the UNDPs 2020 Human Development Report, he/she can easily find that Bangladesh, with a population of 150 million, has entered the medium human development category. Since 1990, when the HDR was first released, the countrys score has improved by more than 60 percent.

The latest improvement is indeed another success story for the country! Perhaps the former key US policymaker failed to notice the countrys immense potential. Bangladesh is now on track to graduate from the UNs Least Developed Countries (LDC) list in 2026. It is on its way to becoming a promising middle-income country. The country is moving toward becoming the next Asian economic 'tiger'. If everything goes well, by 2031, it will become an upper-middle-income country and by 2041, it would be a high-income and prosperous country.

How On the occasion of the 52nd anniversary of Independence of Bangladesh, the United States (US) Congress has introduced a resolution on March 29 recognizing and commending Bangladesh and its remarkable socioeconomic progress under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Republican Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina introduced the resolution at the Congress as the co-chair of the Congressional Bangladesh Caucus, according to a press release received here today.

Joe Wilson Sr. has been serving as the U.S. representative for South Carolina's 2nd congressional district since 2001. He earlier served as the South Carolina state senator from the 23rd district from 1985 to 2001.

While placing the resolution, Congressman Wilson recalled that 51 years ago on April 4, 1972, the United States recognized Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan.

During the nine-month-long Bangladesh Liberation War, members of the Pakistan Armed Forces and pro-Pakistani militias killed hundreds of thousands of people and injured many more. The war for independence was a struggle for democracy and freedom led by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the resolution said.

It said Bangladesh has made enormous strides in the last five decades from one of the poorest nations to having one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, with their GDP per capita increasing to $2,457 in 2021 according to the World Bank which now exceeds that of its regional neighbors.

The resolution mentioned since its independence in 1971, Bangladesh's economy has grown from $9 billion to $450 billion, life expectancy has risen from 47 years to 73 years, and the adult literacy rate has risen to more than 75 percent.

Bangladesh, through the leadership of current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has made substantial socioeconomic progress in food production, disaster resilience, poverty reduction, improved health, education, and women's empowerment, it noted.

The resolution said Bangladesh has successfully maintained a moderate Muslim society and curbed extremism in the country, and its people have sought to maintain support for democracy and rule of law rather than descending into authoritarian rule of gun.

The resolution said the United States and Bangladesh have extensive cooperation on matters of regional and global security, counter terrorism, and climate change. The U.S. is the largest export market for Bangladesh and one of the largest sources of foreign direct investment, it said, adding the nation of Bangladesh has also contributed to the U.S. economy through bilateral trade and international security cooperation in return.

The resolution said the American people appreciate the generous and indispensable role that Bangladesh performs in accepting and sheltering more than 1 million Rohingya people from a genocide perpetrated by its neighbor, Burma. The United States has contributed the largest amount of humanitarian aid to address this crisis, totaling more than $2 billion.

It said the American people welcome that Bangladesh is one of the world's largest contributors to United Nations peacekeeping efforts globally. Both countries seek to enhance their people-to people and government-to-government relationship for shared prosperity.

The resolution mentioned that Bangladesh has expressed their gratitude to the United States for contributing more than 100 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to the people of Bangladesh.

It said the American people recognize and commend the nation and people of Bangladesh as they celebrate 51 years of independence. The United States extends its sincere determination to remain a constructive partner of Bangladesh in achieving mutual economic, social and national security objectives now and into the future, the resolution concluded.

ever, it is better late than never. At last, the US could evaluate the potential of this nation and finally recognised Bangladesh as a role model for the rest of the world. But that is just the beginning.

From: Jubeda Chowdhury

Jubeda Chowdhury is a Dhaka based teacher, freelance columnist and a researcher.

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