Dev indicators improving, poverty incidence still high: Atiur
Dhaka, June 17 (UNB) - Bangladesh Bank governor Dr Atiur Rahman has said the developing low-income economies should demand separate mechanisms of transfer of resources and know-how from developed economies in pursuit of the sustainability goals.
“New ‘carbon tax’ and other levies on ‘polluter pays’ principle will have disproportionately high negative economic growth impact on low-income economies. They’ll need to be protected by deferral of paying such taxes/levies, perhaps by a couple of decades or so,” he said.
Atiur was addressing the plenary session of Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum titled ‘A Changing World: Business as Unusual’ Windsor Barra Hotel, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, according to a press release.
Atiur said the socioeconomic development goals for low-income developing countries will be the minimums to attain or exceed; but because of their severe constraints in resources and know-how, the sustainability goals will be benchmarks to make progress towards, but not necessarily to fully attain or surpass.
The central bank governor said although socioeconomic development indicators of Bangladesh are improving steadily, poverty incidence is still high and the country is some way behind her regional neighbors and the broader world in human development index.
“We cannot, therefore, afford to compromise the imperative of faster economic growth and inclusive social development with attempt at overambitious elitist environmental goals,” he added.
In the RIO+20 global dialogue for a post-2015 framework, Atiur said, Bangladesh may consider advocating some variant of the so called ‘hybrid approach’.
“We may suggest adoption of two separate sets of (a) Socio-economic development goals, and (b) ‘Green Growth’ Environmental Sustainability goals; with the Socio-economic goals taking priority over sustainability goals in low-income developing economies like Bangladesh.”
He mentioned that there are vast potential gains to be reaped in global stability and environmentally benign equitable inclusive growth from mainstreaming of social responsibility in corporate ethos and objectives of businesses.
Modalities of engagement of corporate business sector in attainment of socio-economic development and environmental sustainability goals remain to be worked out; proactive promotion and support in innovating environmentally sustainable, climate change adaptive production technologies in agriculture and manufacturing can figure importantly among those, he added.
“New ‘carbon tax’ and other levies on ‘polluter pays’ principle will have disproportionately high negative economic growth impact on low-income economies. They’ll need to be protected by deferral of paying such taxes/levies, perhaps by a couple of decades or so,” he said.
Atiur was addressing the plenary session of Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum titled ‘A Changing World: Business as Unusual’ Windsor Barra Hotel, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, according to a press release.
Atiur said the socioeconomic development goals for low-income developing countries will be the minimums to attain or exceed; but because of their severe constraints in resources and know-how, the sustainability goals will be benchmarks to make progress towards, but not necessarily to fully attain or surpass.
The central bank governor said although socioeconomic development indicators of Bangladesh are improving steadily, poverty incidence is still high and the country is some way behind her regional neighbors and the broader world in human development index.
“We cannot, therefore, afford to compromise the imperative of faster economic growth and inclusive social development with attempt at overambitious elitist environmental goals,” he added.
In the RIO+20 global dialogue for a post-2015 framework, Atiur said, Bangladesh may consider advocating some variant of the so called ‘hybrid approach’.
“We may suggest adoption of two separate sets of (a) Socio-economic development goals, and (b) ‘Green Growth’ Environmental Sustainability goals; with the Socio-economic goals taking priority over sustainability goals in low-income developing economies like Bangladesh.”
He mentioned that there are vast potential gains to be reaped in global stability and environmentally benign equitable inclusive growth from mainstreaming of social responsibility in corporate ethos and objectives of businesses.
Modalities of engagement of corporate business sector in attainment of socio-economic development and environmental sustainability goals remain to be worked out; proactive promotion and support in innovating environmentally sustainable, climate change adaptive production technologies in agriculture and manufacturing can figure importantly among those, he added.
Comments
No Comments on this News
