The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) has described the United Nations' decision to grant Bangladesh a three-year extension for its Least Developed Country (LDC) graduation as an "exceptional decision," warning that the country must deliver "exceptional national performance" to honor it.
Speaking at a media briefing on Sunday, November 1, 2026, titled “Bangladesh’s LDC Graduation: The UNGA Decision and Our Observations” at the CPD office in Dhaka, Distinguished Fellow Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya cautioned that failing to execute critical reforms will severely damage Bangladesh's global credibility. "Since the Prime Minister has written to the UN Secretary-General and assumed this direct responsibility to cross specific milestones within these three years, any failure to reform will amount to a breach of promise," Dr. Bhattacharya stated. He emphasized that the UN Committee for Development Policy (CDP) will conduct rigorous annual reviews, and development partner support will strictly depend on domestic reform execution.
Read nextSummit Group FSRU Shutdown for 3-Day Maintenance Triggers Severe Gas Crisis Risk Across BangladeshHighlighting structural vulnerabilities, CPD noted that non-performing loans (NPLs) in the banking sector surged to 32.8% by June 2026, while the Tax-to-GDP ratio dropped to 6.9%. Furthermore, with readymade garments accounting for 80.6% of total exports and Bangladesh ranking 88th on the World Bank's Logistics Performance Index, the country must phase out export cash incentives and establish viable alternatives before November 2029. To ensure accountability, CPD recommended transferring the Smooth Transition Strategy (STS) coordination from the Economic Relations Division (ERD) directly to the Prime Minister’s Office, presenting the roadmap to the national parliament, and launching an open public digital dashboard.
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Reported by Staff Reporter • Edited by the Daily Best News desk. Send corrections to [email protected].
