The United Nations System has been seeking areas to build strategic partnerships with the private sector in Bangladesh, said Tuomo Poutiainen, country director of International Labour Organization (ILO), yesterday. 

The United Nations System refers to the United Nations, its six principal organs such as the General Assembly and its various specialised agencies and affiliated organisations.

The UN System works closely with the government and private sector entities to enhance national capacities in supporting the national development agenda in line with internationally agreed principles and standards, said Poutiainen.

He also mentioned five strategic areas in which the ILO was focusing on: economic development, social protection, climate change, governance and gender protection.

The UN System is working to integrate coordinated and concrete engagement of the private sector to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and implementation of national development programmes, reads an FBCCI statement.

Poutiainen held a meeting with Sheikh Fazle Fahim, president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), on the latter's premises and discussed different issues.

Taking into account Bangladesh's overall economic ecosystem, from micro small and medium enterprises to the largest industries, the FBCCI asked for technical supports from the UN System, especially in areas of industry and economic diversification, said Fahim.

He also sought cooperation on export competitiveness, product and market diversification, standardisation and certification, export strategy development, facilitation of women and young entrepreneurs, harmonisation, support for innovation, start-ups and their ecosystem, sustainability and inclusive growth.

The FBCCI president stressed cooperation and technical support from the UN System to develop a mechanism to quantify the investment of the private sector towards SDGs.