Preparing for LDC graduation: Urgent reform imperatives to safeguard export competitiveness in Bangladesh
This policy brief tackles urgent issues in the export sector, highlighting key reforms necessary to protect Bangladesh's trade competitiveness as it prepares to graduate from least developed country (LDC) status.
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Razzaque-et-al-Policy-Brief-March-2025_LDC-graduation.pdf
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- This policy brief identifies a select set of urgent, high-impact reforms essential for safeguarding Bangladesh's trade competitiveness post-LDC graduation.
- Immediate priorities facing Bangladesh in preparing for LDC graduation include: Ensuring highest-level commitment to the implementation of the Smooth Transition Strategy (STS), engaging with the EU to secure favourable post-LDC trade terms, initiating trade policy reform for export diversification and facilitating FTA negotiations, building trade negotiation capacity and strategically pursuing FTAs in the run-up to LDC graduation and beyond, maintaining duty-free access in China and India for future export growth, attracting FDI for export diversification and backward linkages, ensuring macroeconomic stability, adopting sustainability measures, strengthening product standards, and enhancing compliance and improving trade facilitation and port management to enhance competitiveness.