Published: 09:52 AM, 14 August 2026
‘Bangladesh must adapt alternative financing to meet SDG funding gap’
Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury on Wednesday said Bangladesh needs to move beyond traditional public financing and explore alternative sources of finance to bridge the huge funding gap required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
"We are saying that we want to move somewhat beyond traditional public financing. There are limitations within the traditional public finance system," he said.
The finance minister was responding to a question from a journalist at a press meet held after the closing ceremony of the three-day national conference titled "Navigating Five Year Strategic Framework for Achieving SDGs: Policy, Partnership and Priorities" at Bangladesh China Friendship Conference Center (BCFCC) here in the capital.
The minister said the global public finance architecture is undergoing major changes and Bangladesh needs to adapt to this changing environment by exploring alternative financing mechanisms.
"We are talking about alternative financing because the global public finance architecture is changing. We need to move in that direction and explore alternative financing," he said.
Amir Khosru said Bangladesh has already started moving towards alternative financing, particularly through the capital market.
"Our capital market is already coming into the discussion and moving forward. Foreign fund managers are coming, and there are now many products, including bonds, through which we can partially bridge the financing gap using alternative financing," he said.
He also pointed to efforts to increase the country's tax-to-GDP ratio as another important avenue for mobilising domestic resources.
"We are also trying to increase our tax-to-GDP ratio. Hopefully, at the end of the day, we will be successful," he said.
While responding to a question on the estimated financing gap of around Taka 50 lakh crore for achieving the SDGs, the minister said the government is pursuing a broader stakeholder consultation process to identify and incorporate recommendations that may fall outside the existing programme framework.
"We have noted the issues raised by different discussants. If there are issues beyond our existing programme, we will incorporate them. This is part of the stakeholder consultation process," he said.
Khosru said the consultation process would continue as the government is working with all stakeholders through discussion and engagement.
The finance minister also stressed the need for a comprehensive shift in the financing approach in line with changes taking place globally.
"We have to look at how the global public finance architecture is changing and move towards alternative financing mechanisms," he added.
Asked whether recommendations made by different stakeholders at the conference would be incorporated into government programmes, Khosru said the government would consider issues that are not already covered by its existing programmes.
"We note these through various channels. If there is anything that is not already covered by our programmes, we incorporate it," he said.
He said consultation with stakeholders is an important part of the government's work and that the process would continue. "We discuss and work with everyone."
Earlier, State Minister for Planning Zonayed Saki said SDG implementation should not be treated merely as an international obligation or an exercise in preparing reports. The government's main objective, he said, was to bring tangible improvements to people's lives.
The conference also highlighted the difficulties faced by marginalised groups in obtaining national identity cards, which participants said prevented some people from accessing various government services.
Mohammad Wasim, a van driver from the Mazar Road area of Mirpur, said many homeless people in the area did not have national identity cards.
Ramisa Chowdhury, representing the transgender community, said many members of the community faced difficulties in obtaining national identity cards. Sohanur Rahman, representing young people, said many members of the Manta community in Barishal also did not have national identity cards.
