DHAKA: United Nation lauded Bangladesh for maintaining ‘tremendous’ progress in its all the three criteria including GNI per capita, the human asset index and the economic vulnerability index.

The praise came in a resolution adopted by the UNGA at a follow-up meeting to the Fourth United Nations Conference on the LDCs held at the UN Headquarters recently.

External Publicity Wing of Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed the matter through a press release on Thursday.

Despite a LDC, Bangladesh has been maintaining tremendous progress to graduate out of LDC in its all the three criteria including GNI per capita, the human asset index and the economic vulnerability index.

The resolution adds: The per capita income of the country has increased to $1,200 from $630 in 2008 closing to the graduation threshold at $1,242. The rate of poverty has reduced to 24 percent from 40 percent in 2005.

The country has achieved gender parity in the education up to secondary level. Under-5 mortality rate has been reduced to 34 per thousand live births from 65 in 2008 and self-sufficiency in food has been achieved. It has achieved a safe water supply and sanitary facilities for almost cent percent of the population, the UNGA added.

The press release added that the meeting also expressed its concern that the LDCs are vulnerable to adverse impacts of climate change and were already experiencing its increased impacts including extreme weather events, sea-level rise and coastal erosion. It would further threaten food security and efforts to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development.

Bangladesh, however, has developed climate-sensitive varieties of various crops including rice. A massive coastal afforestation has been in progress to reduce the severity of erosion and fixing underground carbon.

Disaster warning and management practices have been geared up by using IC. Physical infrastructure including construction of school-cum-cyclone shelters across the coastal areas has been developed, it added.

BDST: 1345 HRS, JAN 29, 2015