Ceasing Donors’ Interference on 14, February, 2010
Ceasing Donors’ Interference and Ensuring Sovereignty Over
Developments Planning
Through a Human Chain organized on 14 February 2010 at Shabag, Dhaka, Sushashoner Jonny Procharavijan (SUPRO), a forum of grassroots NGOs demonstrated its position against the process of formulating second PRSP without any public consultation and its presentation to the donor agencies. SUPRO stood up in
the human chain prior to the meeting of the so-called Bangladesh
Development Forum (BDF),a consortium of donor agencies scheduled to be
held on 15-16 February 2010 where the government is going to submit
PRSP-II made without evaluating the implementation of PRSP-I which was
adopted from Poverty Reduction Growth Facility (PRGF) funding. In the
human chain
SUPRO reiterated its demands for cancellation of all
foreign debts, ensuring unconditional development aid, ceasing donors’
interference in national development planning and ensuring sovereignty
over development planning of the country.
foreign debts, ensuring unconditional development aid, ceasing donors’
interference in national development planning and ensuring sovereignty
over development planning of the country.
More than 50 representatives of like-minded organizations took part in the human chain. Firoza Begum, President of Bachte Shikho Nari, Ferdous Ahmed, Executive Director of SBS and Mousumi Biswas, Iqbal Uddin, Kazi Shafiqur Rahman and Alim-Al-Razy from SUPRO spoke at the Chain. Speakers in the chain said that the Bangladesh government like other developed countries has declared bailout package to overcome the ongoing economic recession. They added that as a consequence of bailout package important service sectors like, health and education might be affected.
The speakers called on the government to adopt self-reliant development policy instead of depending on World Bank, IMF and other multilateral lending agencies. On the occasion, SUPRO placed a set of demands which include:
- Rejection of conditional loan and formulate national budget depending on own domestic resources
- Increase allocation in essential services, specially in health and education sectors instead of paying loan installation;
- Cancellation of all kinds of conditional debt.
- Implementation of the Developed countries for ODA at the rate of 0.7% of their national income;
- Ensure 100 percent duty free accessibility of all Bangladeshi products to global market; and
- Ensure safe and undisturbed labour migration.