Say speakers at Star roundtable

Business leaders have continued to push the government to seek a deferral of Bangladesh’s graduation to a developing nation by five to six years, warning that a premature transition would cripple industries, erode export competitiveness, and trigger massive job losses.

Tangles in government services remain a major challenge for turning ideas into reality and becoming successful entrepreneurs, said young innovators at a roundtable yesterday.

Bangladesh has strong potential in agro-processing, which is emerging as a key driver of value beyond traditional farming. Global demand for safe, high-quality processed food is growing fast, and Bangladesh already exports over $1.2 billion annually in this sector.

Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD) and Landesa, along with The Daily Star, organised a roundtable discussion titled “NDC Implementation Challenges: Accelerating Mitigation  & Adaptation through Sustainable Land Management”, at the newspaper’s office in Dhaka on July 21, 2025. Below is a summary of the discussion.

Statistics reveal that agriculture’s contribution to the nation’s GDP is steadily declining. A distressing trend emerged this year: between January and April, 12 farmers took their own lives.

The dialogue “Transforming Policy into Law: Domestic Workers’ Rights and Implementation Barriers” was held on July 16, 2025, under the EWCSA project, jointly organised by Shobujer Ovijan Foundation, Oxfam in Bangladesh, The Daily Star, and co- funded by The European Union. Here is a summary of the discussion.

We urgently need greater awareness around disability issues, especially as climate change and man-made disasters increase.

UNICEF and WaterAid, in collaboration with The Daily Star, organised a roundtable on 27 May 2025 titled ‘Building Climate-Resilient and Inclusive WASH Infrastructure: Creating Period-Friendly Schools, Health Care Facilities and Workplaces.

Despite frequent discussions on climate change and development, we often overlook a pressing issue in Bangladesh and similar countries:

The Daily Star organised a roundtable titled “Budget 2025-26: Time to Make Public Procurement Work for Bangladeshi Manufacturers” on May 18, 2025. Here is a summary of the discussion.

UNICEF, supported by the European Union and in partnership with The Daily Star, organized a roundtable on May 13, 2025, titled “A New Bangladesh for Children: A Stronger Social Budget to Bring Childhood Back on Track.” The following is a summary of the discussion.

UNDP, in collaboration with The Daily Star, organised a roundtable titled “Scanning the Horizon: Addressing Cyber Violence against Women and Youth through Policy and Awareness” on November 25, 2024. Here we publish a summary of the discussion.

In collaboration with The Daily Star, WaterAid organised a roundtable on March 11, 2025, titled 'Accelerating Gender-Inclusive Urban WASH: A Call for Action.'

The Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD), in collaboration with The Daily Star, organised a roundtable titled “Barriers to Ensuring Women’s Land Rights and the Way Forward” on January 30, 2025. Below is a summary of the discussion.

Unilever Bangladesh Limited and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), in partnership with The Daily Star, organised a roundtable discussion titled ‘Sustainable Plastic Solutions in Food and Health Systems’ on 12 December 2024. Below is a summary of the discourse.

UNDP Bangladesh’s Strengthening Institutions, Policies and Service (SIPS) project and The Daily Star jointly organised a roundtable titled “Transforming Bangladesh Public Administration: Overcoming Challenges and Shaping Reforms” on December 4, 2024,

CAMPE, in collaboration with The Daily Star, organised a roundtable titled “Protection and Improvement of Living Standards of Domestic Workers: Our Role” on December 18, 2024. Here we publish a summary of the discussion.

NETZ Bangladesh in collaboration with The Daily Star organised a roundtable titled, “Towards Safer Digital Spaces: Enhancing Legal and Policy Responses to VAWG in Bangladesh,” on December 13, 2024. Here we publish a summary of the discussion. 

Swisscontact in collaboration with The Daily Star organised a roundtable titled ‘Equity in ICT: Inclusive Training Pathways for Persons with Disabilities’ on December 4, 2024. Here we publish a summary of the discussion.