Olivier De Schutter said that Bangladesh’s graduation in 2026 from LDC status should be used as an opportunity for it to review its dependency on the garment industry.
UN expert on poverty said that Dhaka needs to move away from cheap labour in order to achieve a development based on rights following the graduation of its LDC status.
UN special reporteur on extreme poverty, human rights and Olivier De Schutter encouraged Bangladesh to rethink their reliance on garment manufacturing as a result of the LDC designation.
He said that the government would do better to spend its time and money on improving social security, training and educating workers and ensuring fair salaries.
He said that the government should spend its time and money on improving the social security system, training and educating workers and ensuring that they receive fair wages.
“Not only will this attract investors who care about their reputation, it will pave the way for a new form of development in Bangladesh – one driven by domestic demand rather than exploitative export opportunities,” he was quoted as saying by Bangladesh media reports.
“Bangladesh’s development has largely been driven by one export sector—the readymade garment industry—which is highly dependent on keeping wages low,” he said.
The comparative advantages of a nation cannot be based on keeping their people in poverty, he added.
In June of next year, he will deliver his final report about Bangladesh before the UN Human Rights Council.
RMG is responsible for 82 percent of the exports and provides employment to 4 million people.
“You can’t deliver social or health protection, education without also improving transparency and accountability,” said he.
De Schutter called on the government to rationalise the social protection system. He described it as “a patchwork 119 schemes which emerge on a haphazard basis and are not coordinated well, nor do they provide Bangladeshis with the income security expected by them”.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk