Fahmida Khatun

Over the 55 years since Bangladesh's independence, the processes of state-building, political transformation, and economic reconstruction have unfolded in deeply interconnected ways.

The outlook for FY2026 indicates a modest recovery, although some risks remain.

The recent wave of violence has revealed a deeply worrying trend in public life.

The erosion of democracy became most pronounced between 2014 and 2024.

Bangladesh's inability to create adequate opportunities for its young population has moved far beyond an economic concern.

COP30 could not deliver concrete actions to phase out fossil fuels and advance climate finance, but some new opportunities were created for vulnerable countries.

As the impacts of climate change become more severe with deadly heatwaves, eroding coastlines, rising food prices, and increasing social and economic instability, affected countries, particularly poor ones, are getting concerned about having to slow their development while addressing climate change.

Emerging from the ruins of the war of independence in 1971 with a devastated economy, Bangladesh has gradually transformed into a vibrant lower-middle-income country.